Of Shocks and Seashells
by iftheworldwasonfire
Summary: This is a series of one-shots about Percy and Thalia. Not really Perlia,more friendship, but it could be taken as being Perlia if you want to. Retells some scenes from the books and some scenes I made up. Rated T just in case.
1. Of Friends and Enemies

**This is a bunch of one-shots about some moments involving Thalia and Percy! It can be a slash if you want it to be, but I was thinking more friendship.**

**Disclaimer: I do not on Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything that comes with it, including hyperactive dim-witted party-loving centaurs, Rick Riordan does.**

**Percy's Point of View**

I knelt by her side. She had short black hair and freckles across her nose. She was built like a long-distance runner, lithe and strong, and she wore clothes that were somewhere between punk and Goth-a black T-shirt, black tattered jeans, and a leather jacket with buttons from a bunch of bands I'd never heard of.

She wasn't a camper. I didn't recognize her from any of the cabins. And yet I had the strangest feeling I'd seen her before…

"It's true," Grover said, panting from his run up the hill. "I can't believe…"

Nobody came close to the girl.

I put my hand on her forehead. Her skin was cold, but my fingertips tingled as if they were burning.

"She needs nectar and ambrosia," I said. She was clearly a half-blood, whether she was a camper or not. I could sense that just from one touch. I didn't understand why everyone was acting so scared.

I took her by the shoulders and lifted her into a sitting position, resting her head on my shoulder.

"Come on!" I yelled to the others. "What's wrong with you people? Let's get her to the Big House."

No one moved, not even Chiron. They were all too stunned.

Then the girl took a shaky breath. She coughed and opened her eyes.

Her irises were a startling blue-electric blue.

The girl stared at me in bewilderment, shivering and wild-eyes. "Who-"

"I'm Percy," I said. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream..."

"It's okay."

"Dying."

"No," I assured her. "You're okay. What's your name?"

That's when I knew. Even before she said it.

The girl's blue eyes stared into mine, and I understood what the Golden Fleece quest had been about. The poisoning of the tree. Everything. Kronos had done it to bring another chess piece into play-_another chance to control the prophecy_.

Even Chiron, Annabeth, and Grover, who should've been celebrating this moment, were too shocked, thinking about what it might mean for the future. And I was holding someone who was destined to be my best friend, or possibly my worst enemy.

"I am Thalia," the girl said. "Daughter of Zeus."

**Thalia's Point of View**

_"Grover, take Annabeth and Luke and run. Run until you are safe. Don't come back. I promise that I'll be fine. I promise, " I command the frightened satyr._

_ "But-but...Thalia, there are too many-" Grover bleats._

_ "Exactly. Luke and Annabeth are hurt. You're all injured and you need help. Now. I'm not. I can take them, I know it Grover," I insist._

_ "Thalia, I promised I would get you safely over that border-" Grover begins._

_ "And you will! But I'll hold off the monsters until you guys are safe," I say, gesturing towards the hordes of monsters that are slowly but surely climbing up the hill. "Grover. Luke and Annabeth mean more than anything to me. They're like the family I never had. I'd rather sacrifice myself then let them get hurt."_

_ "But Thalia-"_

_ "Grover. Stop wasting time. Take them to the camp. Don't worry about me," I say exasperatedly._

_ "Thalia."_

_ "What?"_

_ "Be careful." Grover begins to half-carry half-drag a weakened Annabeth down the hill, her long blond hair matted against her bloody neck, her grayish-blue eyes lackluster. Luke limping slowly after them. He sees me not coming and turns the other way, starting back after me._

_ "Luke! What are you doing!" I scream at him, tapping my bracelet to expand Ageis._

_ "What am I doing? What are you doing, Thalia Grace? Get over here now!" Luke yells, his shaggy bangs falling into his stormy gray eyes._

_ "Luke. Please. Think of Annabeth. She needs you right now. I can manage these monsters. Go!" I shout. Luke is torn between Annabeth and I. Until Annabeth calls out._

_ "Luke...Luke..." she cries weakly. Luke gives me a sorrow-filled look, and turns, limping as fast as he can towards Annabeth and Grover, who are already inside the camp's magical barriers. Sadly, I wave goodbye._

_ A small knife sprouts from my shoulder, and I scream in pain, watching in horror as blood spurts down my arm, dripping onto the ground. I whirl around and begin fighting, fighting for my life. There are so many of them that a wave of dust explodes over me every time I stab, the deadly monster disintegrating. But they are winning, and soon I'm covered with injuries. My weapons have been taken away from me, and the monsters begin to torture me, hurt me beyond anything I could imagine._

_ "LUKE!" I scream._

_ "THALIA!" his voice is distant, but it carries in the strong wind to my ears._

_ As the monsters begin to tear me to shreds, I ask for help, one of the things that I have almost never done._

Father, if you hear this, please. Help me. I can't do this. Please. Help me.

_ A fresh wave of pain wracks my body, and I scream in terror. I fall to my knees, defeated, ready to die. As the Minotaur raises his double-sided axe above my head, I realize that I don't want to die. I try to run, but something holds me in place. I look down at my feet in terror, watching as dark brown tree bark creeps up my legs, up my body. I scream and try to get free, struggling desperately. The bark has made it to my neck, and it's forming over my chin. As it covers my face, the scent of pine overwhelms my nostrils, the dark shell blocking out the sunlight._

_ The last thing I hear before the bark completely encases me is Luke, Annabeth, and Grover screaming, "Thalia!"_

I become faintly aware of things. People are talking quietly. Sunlight trickles in through my eyelids. I take a shaky breath, my lungs expanding as I gulp down some cool, clean oxygen, then cough, and open my eyes.

A boy with dark brown, almost black, hair leans over me, his sea-green eyes meeting my electrifying blue ones. And he smells like sea salt. He looks like he's just seen a ghost, his skin turning a pale sheen, his freckles becoming more prominent.

I start shaking and stare at him wildly, my eyes pleading for answers. "Who-?"

"I'm Percy," he says softly. "You're safe now."

"Strangest dream..." I whisper, not believing this was real. I look out over his shoulder and see more faces, the fine details blurry in the eyes of someone who has been in darkness for so long.

"It's okay," Percy says gently. I realize I'm leaning on his shoulder.

"Dying."

"No," he assures me. "You're okay. What's your name?" I star into his eyes, the irises gleaming like a sea after a bad storm. He frowns slightly, his lips puckering a bit, and then his eyes widen in shock.

I tense immediately. Who says I can trust this kid? Peter, or whatever his name is. I just woke up from a bad dream, and I don't know where I am. And where are Grover, Luke, and Annabeth? Are they safe? The fear and confusion instantly make me haughty and cold as I answer his question.

"I am Thalia," I say, looking him straight in the eye, watching his pupils dilate. "Daughter of Zeus."

**Percy's Point of View**

Despite the little surge of shock I feel shooting through my body, I stretch out my hand and offer it to Thalia, who takes it. A small shock runs through my fingers. Definitely Zeus's child. She stands up, getting onto her feet shakily, wobbling slightly until I grip her wrists and steady her.

All the while, Annabeth's words keep running through my head: _Percy, you know who you remind me of the most? _Thalia. _You guys are so much alike it's scary. I mean, either you would've been best friends or you would've strangled each other._

Thalia's already pale skin becomes more so, making her freckles more prominent. She looks a little green.

"Whoa, you okay?" I ask. "You definitely need some abrosia and nec-"

"Grover! Luke! Annabeth! Oh, gods, are they alright? Did they get over the border to that camp? I'll die if they didn't make it-" she says, her eyes widening.

"T-Thalia?" Annabeth croaks. "Is...is it really...you?"

"Annabeth!" Thalia exclaims, running over to her and hugging her tightly. "Are you okay? Did...did..." She looks at Annabeth more closely. "A-annabeth? Y-you're...grown up."

A few tears fall from Annabeth's eyes. "Thalia, you were in that pine tree longer than you remember."

"W-what?" Thalia asks, astonished.

"Thalia," Annabeth says, looking her in the eyes, a cloudy gray meeting an electric blue. "You...you were turned into a pine tree by your dad to save your spirit. Six years ago."

"No," Thalia replies, slowly backing away. "No, no, no. I'm twelve. I feel twelve. That...that can't have happened six years ago."

"You're supposed to be eighteen," I say. "You look somewhere in between. Maybe fourteen? Fifteen?"

"This can't be true!" Thalia cries.

"I'm afraid it is, my dear child," Chiron says, trotting foreward.

"Who...who are you?" Thalia asks.

"I," Chiron answers, "am Chiron. The head trainer at Camp Half-Blood."

"Camp Half-Blood," Thalia muses. "Is that where I am?"

"Yes," Grover replies. "You're safe, Thalia."

"Grover!" Thalia says joyfully, flinging her arms around his neck. "It's so good to see you."

"It's good to see you too, Thalia," Grover says seriously. "We thought we would never see you again...after...well, you got turned into a pine tree."

"Yes," Thalia says dryly. "I've heard. Where's Luke?" An uncomfortable ripple moved across the crowd. "What? Was it something I said."

"Luke...Luke isn't here right now," Annabeth says, her eyes downcast.

"Oh. Okay then," Thalia says, slightly surprised.

"Annabeth," Chiron says gently. "Take Thalia to the Big House. She needs ambrosia and nectar."

"I'm on it," Annabeth replies, leading Thalia towards the Big House. The crowd parts down the middle to let them through, the atmosphere half reverential half scared.

"I'll go too," I say, mostly to myself. I start to walk away when Chiron grabs me.

"Percy," he murmurs. "Be careful. She does not know about the prophecy; remember that she has been imprisoned-" there is a rumble of thunder in the air "-excuse me, encased in a pine tree for six years."

"Don't worry," I reply. "I won't tell her."

"Just be careful Percy," Chiron says. "I do not think I have seen two half-bloods more alike than you and Thalia. Two children of the Big Three...be careful, Percy. Be very careful.

**Like it? Please, please, please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	2. Of Capture the Flag and Arguments

**Back again! I really, really, really wanted to do the fight scene between Percy and Thalia, so here you go! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, scary crusty-looking guys who like to sell beds, or anything else in the books or movies. Rick Riordan does.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

To be short, I felt electrified. Electrified with anger, that is. I smelled horrible, we had been beaten by the stupid Hunters, and Percy was just standing there like an idiot after messing the game up for us. For his team. For me.

"Perseus Jackson!" I yelled, my face screwed up in fury, sparks crackling on my armor. Everybody flinched and cringed and squirmed, backing up quickly, probably because of Aegis. I love Aegis. It's one of the only things that connects me to my dad. Plus, it looks pretty cute as a bracelet. Percy looked like he wanted to run, his sea green eyes darting in fear. I guess I looked pretty furious. And no one in their right mind wants to mess with me when I'm mad, am holding Aegis, and I'm flickering with electricity. "What in the name of the gods were you THINKING?"

He balled his fists up, clenching his fingers. Now his eyes were stormy, like a hurricane. "I got the flag, Thalia!" He whipped it in my face, smarting and stinging my cheeks. How immature. "I saw a chance, and I took it!" That little comment made me snap. I told him to stay back! I told him to be on _defense_. But did he listen? NO! That stubborn little idiot had to mess everything up! I was using a plan, an excellent battle tactic that would have made Athena proud, and her just had to come barreling in.

"I WAS AT THEIR BASE!" I yelled. "But the flag was gone. If you hadn't butted in, we would've won."

"You had too many on you!" Percy snapped. I felt like slapping him. That was part of the plan!

"Oh, so it's my fault?" I growled, practically bristling with anger.

"I didn't say that," Percy replies, his face impassive and stony. I cannot believe him!

I felt my face heat up and the sound of wind whooshing past my ears, which usually means I look murderous. I am beyond angry now. "Argh!" I grunt, striding up to him and pushing him. I felt the volts of electricity passing through my fingers and curling around Percy's body. He was blown backwards ten feet, landing in the icy water. Hunters and campers gasped and tried to stifle giggles. The blood in my face drains. I just hurt someone with my powers. On purpose. And it must have hurt; that was a massive shock.

Oh my gods. What did I do?

**Percy's Point of View**

I sat in the icy water, feeling my clothes billow out and the water thoroughly soak me.

Thalia's face was stark white, matching the snow, her eyes wide. "Sorry! I didn't mean to-" I don't care about her stupid apologies. She humiliated and hurt me. Even though she does look sincerely sorry and really worried, I'm to angry to care. I felt anger everywhere: throbbing in my head, flowing through my veins, rushing past my ears. The familiar tugging in my gut calmed me, but only for a moment, before a wave erupted from the creek and blasted right into Thalia's face, dousing her thoroughly. I have to say, she looked pretty funny, dripping water from head to toe.

I stood up, my hair plastered to my forehead. "Yeah," I growled. "I didn't mean to, either." Thalia was breathing heavily, her nostrils flaring slightly, her eyes electrified with fury.

Chiron stepped in between us, his hands outstretched, face quite angry and also disappointed. "Enough!"

Thalia, completely ignoring him, held out her her spear, the point gleaming wickedly. "You want some, Seaweed Brain?" That rubs me the wrong way. I'd gotten used to Annabeth calling me that, but Thalia saying it was not cool and rubbed me the wrong way. I decided to pull out a pseudo-swear for her.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Bring it on, Pinecone Face!" I shook with fury and angry, my muscles tensed. I cannot believe he called me that! I've gotten a lot of lightning related nicknames in the past, like Zappy, Shocker Girl, and Lighter, but a pine tree pseudo-swear? Absolutely cruel and crass. I didn't choose to be turned into a tree! It made my life so much more difficult. I don't know how old I am, it caused Luke to become evil, and of course, I get all these dumb questions.

"How did it feel to be a pine tree?"

"Was the bark itchy?"

"Did you only smell pine needles?"

"Do _you_ smell like pine needles?"

Gods, people can be so _stupid_.

Percy seemed to realize that I was absolutely shaking with fury and his eyes widened just a fraction. He raised the Riptide to defend himself, the celestial bronze blade glinting slightly in the dim winter sunlight, but he couldn't help himself. At that moment, I yelled, a maniacal sound that pierced the frigid air like a dagger, and a stunning, magnificent bolt of lightning streaked down from the sky and hit my spear. Brilliant white sparks flashed, and the lightning burst out of my spear, hitting Percy squarely in the chest.

Percy tumbled to the ground. Later I laughed about how he looked. Hair on end, clothes singed and burning slightly, part of his eyebrows burned off, and a disbelieving expression on his face.

"Thalia!" Chiron said furiously. "That is _enough_!"

Percy staggered to his feet, face murderous and eyes that were swirling whirlpools. He held out his hands, and the entire creek slowly drifted off of the ground, swirling and twisting this way and that. I thought it was kind of pretty...until Percy compacted the water to make a massive icy funnel cloud and I remembered he was about to hurl it at me.

"Percy!" Chiron pleaded.

I could see Percy's muscles tensing as he prepared to chuck that thing at me when...her looked over my shoulder and dropped the water back into the creek, splashing inside the empty creekbed and sloshing around slightly. I was so shocked at his actions that I dropped my spear and turned to see what he was staring at, and my mouth dropped open.

I gasped. She'd never left the attic before.

**Percy's Point of View**

After that whole fiasco with the Oracle, Chiron galloped up to me and said seriously, "Percy, may I talk to you?" I nodded as a wave of dread spread across my body.

We walked quietly in the woods-well, I walked, Chiron trotted, but that's besides the point. The only sounds were the snapping of twigs beneath our feet until Chiron spoke.

"It was dangerous, what you did today," Chiron said, not gently, but not mad either.

"I know," I replied, hanging my head. "I put those campers in danger, and I-"

"No, no," Chiron said, waving his hand. "I'm not talking about the campers. They could have took care of themselves. No, I'm talking about you and Thalia."

"I...don't understand what you're trying to say," I said.

"Percy, you and Thalia are the greatest half-bloods of the century. You are children of the Big Three. You're powers...if you lose control like you did today, you could end up destroying things. Take lives away. Neither you nor Thalia know your full potential, but knowing so could make disasters more prone to happen," Chiron answered. "You could have destroyed each-other today, Percy. You both could have murdered one another in a fit of anger." I stopped walking, quietly taking in his words.

"I didn't know, Chiron. I'm sorry," I whispered.

"There was no way of knowing. The gods forbade me from telling you, but...desperate times call for desperate measures," Chiron gave me a wan grin.

"Me and my stupid temper," I said finally.

"No, Percy. Not just you," Chiron corrects. "Thalia also. You two are very much alike. You are both impulsive, child, and also stubborn. You both have raging tempers and pride that hates to be wounded. You are both confident and believe in yourself more than is healthy." I blush slightly. Hearing about myself makes anyone self-conscious. "But tempers..." He sighed. "Tempers can be a dangerous thing, Percy. Not only for others but also for you."

"I don't understand," I said, slightly confused.

"Percy, if the gods see you and Thalia are a danger to others and them, if they see you lose control, they will kill you. A child of the Big Three..." Chiron trails off, looking as thunder and lightning pulsate and crackle in the sky above. "Okay, okay! _Di immortals_, I won't tell him!"

"Is this about the super dangerous prophecy that everyone seems to know about but me?" I asked. Chiron didn't answer. "Yeah. I thought so."

"Just be careful about your relationship with Thalia. The last thing we would need is if a Son of Poseidon and a Daughter of Zeus became enemies," Chiron warns, cantering away, his hoof pounding on the ground, leaving me in a frigid forest with a whole lot to think about.

**Hiya! This is a shoutout to my first two reviewers: Thalia Grace Pikachu and GleekPJOFreak. You guys made my day and rock my socks! YAY! I've decided to make my little collection of drabbles a contest: tenth reviewer gets to request a scene from the book about Thalia and Percy or you get to make up a plot and I'll do the rest!**

**Please, remember to click that little blue button down there and review!**

**~lilmissf**


	3. Of Talking and Home

**Hey! Back again with another chappie! I wanted to keep updating, so I did an extremely short chapter.**

**Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or any of the things that come with it, like a crotchety old man who would like to be drunk right now. Rick Riordan does. **

**Percy's Point of View**

Annabeth and I had volunteered to show Thalia around the camp. She had seen the arena, the Big House, the lake, the climbing wall, the arts and crafts center, the sword-forges...she had seen the whole camp. Except for the cabins; we were saving the best for last.

Thalia's eyes widened when she saw the cabins. "Whoa. These are so cool!"

"That's Percy's cabin," Annabeth points it out.

"Smells like seasalt," Thalia says, looking at me, a quirky grin curving up the edges of her lips.

"Better than smelling like a pine tree," I retort, causing Thalia to give me her famous death glare. If you've never seen Thalia give a death glare, you've never been truly scared before. Her eyes seem more vibrant and electric, but they narrow and flare with coldness. Her lips turn into a scowl, her eyebrows furrow, and her nostrils flare slightly. Somehow I find the nostril thing utterly cute...GAH! Percy, what are you thinking?

"This is my cabin," Annabeth continues, gesturing to it.

"Looks like something worthy of Athena," Thalia replies, and she and Annabeth share a knowing smile. It makes me feel uncomfortable for some reason.

"And this is your cabin," she says, steering Thalia to a giant, columned, white building with holograms of streaks of lightning flickering down the sides.

Thalia's eyes widen and she gasps. "Majorly awesome." She cautiously sets foot inside the building almost reverentially, laying a hand on one of the huge columns. She walks towards the inner room and lets out another gasp. Annabeth and I exchange looks and smile.

"Annabeth!" Malcom, one of Annabeth's brothers, jogs up to us. "We have archery in about a minute! We need to get down pronto."

"Oh, gods," Annabeth moans. "I completely forgot about archery!" She turns to me, her gray eyes distraught. "Percy, would you do me a huge favor and stay with Thalia for a while? Like, help her get settled?"

"Sure," I answer. Annabeth runs off with Malcom, and I'm left alone, staring at a cabin that I probably souldn't go into. But I'm Percy Jackson, and, let's face it, I have a major talent for ticking off the gods, so I decide to go in anyway.

The Zeus Cabin is themed in the colors of a sky blue and a soft silver. That's probably not going to strike Thalia's chord. Oh well. There's a spacious skylight that lets in streams of sunlight, and a giant marble statue of Zeus in the corner. The cabin is lavishly decorated, but not over-decorated. And the air smells...slightly electrified.

Thalia sits on her bunk, unhappily staring around. I sit by here, but she makes no acknowledgement of me being there.

I clear my throat nervously. "Well, Thalia, how do you like your new home?"

"It doesn't feel like a home," Thalia mutters. I'm surprised. Cabin Three is one of the only places I feel at home, and I'm so comfortable there.

"What?" I ask, slightly stunned.

"It...I dunno. The only time that I ever felt at home was on the run with Annabeth and Luke, and we didn't actually have a home." Thalia's face hardened slightly. "And besides that, I've never really had a home. I ran away when I was ten, y'know. This place..." she gestures around her, waving her hand airily. "It doesn't have that feel. I don't feel like I should be here."

"Of course you should," I reply. "Camp Half-blood is the only place where you're safe."

"Gods, Percy, do you think I'm stupid or something?" Thalia says exasperatedly. "I know this is the only safe place for half-bloods! But that's exactly what it is to me. A safe place. Not a home."

**So? Did you like? Please tell me in your reviews! The contest is still on, so start reviewing!**

**More coming soon!**

**~lilmissf**


	4. Of Heights and Bets

**Hey all of you people out there! I am on a writing craze today, so I figured that I would do another one-shot, this time about Thalia's fear of heights.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything in it. That includes cheerleaders that turn into monsters. They are owned by Rick Riordan.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Thalia! Come on, why won't you climb up the climbing wall with me? We could have a race!" I hear myself whining.

"I said no, and I mean no!" Thalia snaps back, her eyes flaring.

"But Thalia!"

"But nothing. I'm not going up that thing if you paid me."

"What are you guys fighting about _this _time?" Annabeth asks from behind us, rolling her cloudy eyes.

"Percy wants me to climb up the climbing wall with him, and I said no, and he keeps pestering me!"

"Gods, you are exasperating, Thalia!" I snarl. "Why won't you climb up?"

"Because I said so, Fishboy!"

"Are you scared or something?"

"Gods forbid no!" Thalia's cheeks turned slightly pink.

"Aha! You're blushing!"

"Seaweed brain, in case you haven't noticed, it's about a bajillion degrees outside! Of course I'm blushing! Everyone is blushing!"

"Oh. Right."

"Mhmmm."

"Please, please, please Thals!" I try to use the nickname strategy, but that backfires as well.

"NO!" she yells, giving me a shock that _really _hurts. It jolts through my body.

"What was that for?"

"It was for being an annoying idiot, Kelp Head."

"You're just scared to go up that climbing wall, Pinecone Face," I scoff. This may not be the best idea, considering Thalia has a spear in her hand at this moment.

"No I'm not! In fact, I bet I could _beat _you!"

"What did I hear about a bet?" Travis Stoll walks up, his eyes alight with mischief. Connor trails slightly behind him.

"I asked Thalia to climb up the wall-"

"-and I said no-"

"-so I thought she was scared-"

"-which I am _not_-"

"-and so she bet she could beat me-"

"which I _can_ and _will_."

"Music to my ears," Connor trilled, his lips curved into a lopsided grin. "So, we have a bet. Thalia thinks she can beat Percy. Shall we see if the gods will it to be true?"

"It's on," I smirk.

"Wait, does this mean I have to _climb_?" Thalia asks, her face paling slightly.

Travis snorts. "No shi- I mean, no duh!"

"Umm...I don't think I want to do it then," she says, nervously backing away.

"Oh, come _on_ Thals!" Annabeth begs. "I totally want to see you kick Percy's butt!"

"Nice to know you have confidence in me," I mutter.

"Yeah, come on Thalia," Connor says, raising an eyebrow and smirking.

"Gods, when did you guys get involved?" Thalia snaps. "Fine. I'll do it!"

"Awesome!" Travis says. In an undertone, he whispers to Connor, "Five drachmas that Thalia wins."

"You're on," Connor replies.

"You ready?" Annabeth asks me as we walk over to the climbing wall.

"A bit," I shrug. "Let's hope Zeus is in a good mood today and doesn't blast me out of the sky." Thunder rumbles in the sky. "I was kidding! Gods!" Thalia is nervously rubbing her silver bracelet, the one that turns into Aegis. Why she is I don't know. It's not like we're going into battle or anything, and I seriously doubt a monster is going to suddenly appear right in front of her. (1.)

"Ready?" Travis asks, once Thalia and I are situated to start climbing.

"Ready to kick Thalia's butt," I answer. Thalia just nods, her eyes a little wider than normal.

"Go!" Connor yells, and Thalia and I start frantically scrabbling up the challenge. It's not easy. I have to deal with spikes popping out, lava running down in rivulets, and swinging axes.(2.) Thalia's not doing much better, but she's still ahead by few feet. That is, she's ahead until she slips. Her body plummets downward until she manages to grab a handhold.

Her startling blue eyes dilate in fear as she tries not to look at the ground. Quickly, she swings her legs onto a beam and grunts, pulling herself upward with all her might. I keep going, dodging a couple of spikes, and Thalia starts going faster, her face shining with sweat as she swings to the side to avoid a punching glove pupping out. We're only about two yards from the top.

I stop, wiping sweat from my brow, and look down, immediately regretting my decision. We're high above the ground, and looking down is making me slightly queasy.

"Whoa," I say, slightly dizzy. "We're really high up." Thalia looks down and yelps, her face turning a little bit green. I smile to myself. Thalia is distracted. While she gapes at the ground, I quickly scramble up, getting to the top just as she starts to climb again.

"Yeah Percy!" Connor exclaims. "Travis, you owe me five drachmas." Grudgingly, his brother hands over a small pile of glimmering gold drachmas. Thalia and I drop to the ground, wincing slightly as we hit the dirt. After all, it is a high way up.

"Nice job, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth congratulates me.

"Thanks." I catch up to Thalia who was walking away, and lay a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, Thalia, good job."

"Thanks," she says after a pause.

"I actually expected you to win, since your dad is the Lord of the Sky and all," I tried to joke. "Kind of funny, right?"

"Yeah," she says. The air seems to be a little more electrified than normal, and her bright eyes flash. She continues to walk away. "Really funny."

**(1.) Mention to the Lightning Thief!**

**(2.) This is just what I imagined the climbing wall to be like.**

**I think Percy and Thalia might have come out a little more OOC than I had intended...oh well. Did you like it? Please review and tell me what you think!**

**~lilmissf**


	5. Of Nightmares and Moonlit Walks

**I'm back...again...did anyone miss me? :) Here's another little one-shot for you guys. This is dedicated to GleekPJOFreak, who is a great reviewer. She makes me happy whenever I read her reviews.**

**Disclaimer: Gods and Zeus above, how many times must I say this? I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, nor the cranky goddess Persephone who enjoys turning people into dandelions; Rick Riordan does.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

_I'm dressed in a long, flowing Greek chiton, which swirls around my ankles as I walk down the length of a sandy beach. The water is like glass, glistening and perfectly flat, smooth and unreadable, like the Sea God himself._

_ As I walk farther down, the beach looks less welcoming. The waves crash against the shore with a jerky, spasmodic rhythm. The sand becomes rougher and more rocky. My chiton gets tangled in burrs while crabs claw at me. I scream, terrified, as the ground rumbles and splits beneath my feet, and I fall down, down, down...the crack closing out the sky and the sunlight out, darkness overcoming my body, my mind._

_ And then the dream shifts. I'm in a giant throne room, the walls were black as the darkest night, as black as ebony, made out of marble. The floors were bronze, shimmering, but dully, as though the knife had been taken cruelly away from them. A throne, great but terrible, stood tall, an imposing silhouette, made of fused human bones. But then, then I am inside a dim cave, next to a pit, a deep, deep pit full of despair, full of fear, of hate, of anger. A pit as deep as Tartarus itself. _

_ 'Thalia,' it whispers, the voice rough and scratchy, but also smooth and cool at the same time. A voice as old as time itself, a voice that's young and full of wicked vigor. 'Join us. Join me, Thalia. We can give you everything you've ever wanted. We can give you power.'_

_ 'Thalia,' another voice, more familiar, says. It's welcoming; I feel at ease. Luke is suddenly at my side, his mouth stretched into that familiar grin, the grin that makes my heart ache, blue eyes sparkling happily. As he reaches his hand out to me, his eyes flicker to a liquidy gold color, then black to blue again. 'Come with me. Come with me, Thalia.' I am tempted to take his hand when his eyes turn that strange gold again, and he speaks in the voice I heard before. 'Take my hand Thalia.' I back away before running in the opposite direction of him, running, running as fast as I can, hearing Luke's laughter reverberate off of the walls of the cavern. 'You can run Thalia. Go ahead. Run. Just know that every step you take, every stride you sprint brings you closer. Closer to me.'_

I wake with a start, gasping for air, sweat pouring down my face, matting my hair. I temporarily choke, coughing and gagging, until I calm down, clenching my fists, feeling my nails dig into my palms. Eventually, my breaths slow down.

"Just a dream," I mutter. "It was just a dream. Nothing to worry about, Thalia. It was just a dream."

I wipe the sweat from my brow and ruffle my hair, trying to get it unmatted, but it's so humid in my cabin that it stays flat, which I detest. I sigh, pulling on a pair of ratty black converse. There's no way I'm going back to bed after I had that dream. Might as well take a walk. Get some fresh air.

I haul myself off of my bunk and walk to the door, not bothering to take my leather jacket. It's summer. It's not like Khinoe's going to suddenly get ticked off and make it snow inside the camp. I slip outside of my cabin. Everyone's asleep. Well, duh, Thalia! It's after lights out. And no one in their right mind wants to go out in the woods to take a walk after lights out. Except for me. Because that's who I am. Thalia Grace. Rebel.

The night's a nice one. It's cooler than in my cabin, with a warm breeze tickling my skin. The sky is an inky midnight blue, the stars twinkling brightly, the moon merely more than a silver sliver in the sky. No sounds, really, except for the leaves rustling on a few of the trees and the waves lapping onto the shore. Shoot. Waves. That reminds me of my stupid dream. Curse the gods, why couldn't demigods ever have normal dreams?

I walk quietly past the Hermes Cabin and the Apollo Cabin, then the Ares Cabin and...Percy's Cabin. I stop walking for a moment, lingering in front of his door. I can smell the seasalt from here. It makes me sad and mournful. Tihe smell always has. It tingles my skin unpleasantly and I decide to keep walking. Treading lightly over the numerous twigs that lay scattered on the ground, I make my way past the Poseidon Cabin.

I could have sworn I hear something moving behind me.

**Percy's Point of View**

I wake with a start. I just had a really strange dream...I think Mr. D and Chiron were getting married? Never mind. Someone's outside in front of my cabin. I can hear twigs snapping occasionally. Carefully, without making too much noise (because it's near impossible for me _not_ to make noise,) I get out of bed and throw a t-shirt and shorts on. As an afterthought, I put Tyson's watch on my wrist and stick the Riptide in my pocket. Then, slowly and cautiously, I open the door and step out into the night.

It's a bit warm outside, but there's a tiny, timid breeze that brushes lightly against my skin, slightly ruffling my hair. I have no way of knowing where the person who was snooping around earlier went, so I head to on of my favorite spots: a small copse of trees where you have an amazing view of the lake.

I walk as quietly as I can, trying to avoid stepping on the twigs, leaves, and flowers that are strewn across the forest ground (does Demeter have it in for me or something?) since I don't want to be waking up the Dryads. They get nasty if they don't get their beauty sleep. I decide to take a shortcut I know will get my to my little sanctuary much faster. My heart rate begins to pick up a bit and I can feel adrenaline surging through my veins. Taking risks like this always gives me such a thrill. I think it has to do with my ADHD or something.

A twig snaps loudly, right in front of me. I uncap Riptide, watching in awe as the blade extends for what must be the thousandth time by now. Another twig snaps, the sound like a mini sonic boom in the air. I can see a figure, not running or looking remotely stealthy, but walking. They start to turn and see me. Before they can run away, I have my sword at their neck.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"By the GODS, Percy!" I whisper-yell. "You scared the Hades out of me!"

"Sorry," he apologizes sheepishly, capping his sword. I watch in interest as it shrinks back into a ball point pen. It's a neat thing, really. Reminds me of Aegis.

"Sorry? You almost impaled me! Do you try to kill everyone that enjoys taking a walk in the moonlight?" I demand.

"Gods, Thalia, what do you want me to do, get down on my knees and beg for forgiveness?" he asks sarcastically.

"That would be absolutely hilarious to watch, but no, I won't make you do that," I reply, smirking slightly.

"What were you doing out here?" We both ask at the same time. I blush slightly. It's like we're twins, we're so similar.

"I heard someone snooping around," Percy says, grinning at me. "What about you?"

"I had a bad dream," I mumble.

"What about?" he asks. We keep walking, but now it's a slow meander.

"About...umm..." I stammer.

"If you don't want to talk about it, that's fine. I kind of pressured you," Percy says, slightly ashamed.

"No, no, it's okay. I need another half-blood to talk about it with, and I don't think Annabeth would be really pleased." I take a breath. "So, I was walking along this beach, when all of a sudden..."

**Percy's Point of View**

I listen intently while Thalia recaps her dream, but I'm kind of zoning out. Again, I blame my ADHD. I'm distracted by Thalia's eyes. They're luminous, almost glowing in the night, like cat eyes. They look surreal, a strange luminescent blue. Vaguely, I wonder if my eyes do the same thing. I'm also distracted by the fact that Thalia's wearing a skimpy black tank top and black shorts that are pretty short. This is like the Apocalypse; Thalia never, I repeat, _never_ wears tank tops and shorts. It's always T-shirts with slogans like 'Death to Barbie' and ripped black skinny jeans.

"...and then I was in this giant room, with black marble walls and a bronze floor, and-"

"-a throne made out of bones that were fused together," I finish grimly. I've been in that room before. Not in person, but in a dream.

"Yeah," Thalia says, surprised. "How did you know?"

"Let's just say I've had dreams like that before," I answer.

"Okay." Thalia blinks. "Then I was in this...cavern near this chasm. And this _horrible_ voice started talking to me, telling me to join him. And...Luke...he was there too. His eyes were flickering from blue to gold. He kept telling me to take his hand, to come with him. I almost did, Percy, but then I ran away from him. He just laughed. And he said, 'You can run Thalia. Go ahead. Run. Just know that every step you take, every stride you sprint brings you closer. Closer to me.'" Thalia shuddered, shivering, and let out a sharp sigh. I wrap my arms around her and she buries her head into my chest. "It was so terrible." Her words are slightly muffled.

"It's okay, Thals," I say, stroking her hair. "Everything's going to be alright." We both know that's a lie. Nothing is ever guaranteed to be alright if you're a demigod. "You know what? You just need to have a good talk. I know a place where we can go." I lead her to my special copse of trees, and she collapses onto a large, flat rock. I sit awkwardly next to her, watching her watch the small ripples in the lake.

"How'd you find this place?" she asks me, her voice steady.

"During capture the flag once, I stumbled upon this place. It's hidden well, and I think I'm the only one that knows about it. Except for you, of course," I answer. "Don't tell anyone about it. It's a place for me to think, and if everyone knew about it..."

"Don't worry," Thalia assures me. "I won't tell a soul."

"Swear on the River Styx?" I ask, holding out my pinky.

"On the River Styx," Thalia agrees, locking her pinky with mine. A small jolt of electricity travels through my finger. "Oh, sorry, Percy! I can't help it."

"It's fine," I say indifferently. "Didn't really hurt, anyway. So, onto other matters, how do you like camp so far?"

"It's cool," Thalia says after a moment. "Nice to know there are people like me out there. Also nice to know there's a place where I'm not going to be attacked by hordes of monsters."

"I hear you," I say, lying back on the rock and stretching my arms behind my head, looking up at the stars. Thalia copies my motion.

"What's your favorite constellation?" she asks me quietly, her gaze still trained on the star. The starlight reflects off of her eyes and makes them brighter and more luminous.

I shrug. "Probably Orion. I think he was based off of a half-blood. How about you?"

"The Pleiads," she replies, after a moment of consideration.

"Don't mean to sound like an idiot, but, what are those?"

"It's a cluster of really beautiful stars," Thalia says, pointing vaguely into the distance.

"Where?"

"Here," she says, taking my wrist and guiding my hand until it looks like I'm holding the Pleiads in my hand.

"Cool," I say, staring up.

We talk for a couple of hours. About campers, about weapons, about plants, about anything but Luke and Kronos. I come to appreciate Thalia. She locks her true self away until you gain her trust, and then she shows it.

When the sun is rising, streaks of vibrant coral, peach, and pink across the sky, blurring together like a haphazard pastel painting, Thalia yawns. I yawn after a moment, too.

"I guess we should be getting back to our cabins," I say reluctantly. Thalia nods.

"Hey, Percy?"

"Mmm?"

"You were right. Sometimes it's nice to just sit and talk."

**Aww...I think Percy may be developing a crush on Thalia! Who knows! Anyway, I loved this chapter and worked pretty hard on it, so please review and tell me if you like it!**

**~lilmissf**


	6. Of Off Days, Storms, and Mouth to Mouth

**I am back...again...anybody getting annoyed by me yet? Just kidding! I bring you a sacrifice worthy of the gods-a new chappie! I was thinking about how Zeus would practically blast Percy out of the sky if Percy ever went up into his domain...and that got me wondering if Poseidon would do the same thing to Thalia if she went into water! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No, I do not on Percy Jackson and the Olympians, blue plastic hairbrushes people use to hit Kronos, or anything else that comes with it. Rick Riordan does.**

**Percy's Point of View**

I lie on the sand, lazily smiling and enjoying the warm air. Today, Chiron said the whole camp could just relax and take a day off, so, naturally, everyone went to the lake to swim and have fun. Annabeth lies next to me, smiling, her blond hair tied in a loose ponytail. I think this is good for her, to just lay off all of the training and have a good time.

"Seaweed Brain, this is the life," she sighed happily.

"I know," I sigh back. "I can't believe Chiron let us have the whole day off!"

"It was nice of him..." I say, before falling silent. For a while we are silent, listening to the sound of waves lapping onto the shore and the attempts of Connor and Travis Stoll flirting with some Aphrodite girls. Then Annabeth decides to flick some sand in my face.

"Oh, my _gods_ Annabeth, what the Hades was that for?" I snap, before causing a wave of water to douse her from head to toe. She sputters indignantly, spitting water out of her mouth.

"Can you not take a joke, Kelp Head?" she says back.

"Great. Now I have to swim, since _you_ kicked sand all over me." I sigh before diving into the water. This feels so good...the silkiness running off my skin, my hair slowly fanning out around my eyes, all sounds blocked out from my ears. I instantly feel power surge through my veins. Annabeth follows me in, her blond hair making a cloud around her head, strands of hair drifting into her face, her gray eyes seeming silver in the light. She smiles and a stream of bubbles float out of her mouth. I smile back. Eventually, she returns to the surface, but I decide to stay down a little longer. The water is warm and there aren't a lot of currents. It's...calm.

I push myself off the bottom of the lake to propel myself to the surface. When my head breaks the surface, Connor slaps five drachamas into Travis' hand.

"See, I told you he wasn't dead," Travis gloats while his brother sulks.

"I can breathe underwater, idiots," I mutter under my breath before sitting down next to Annabeth who's snorting with laughter.

"Looks like you finally decided to come up," she smirks.

I roll my eyes. I swear, sometimes Annabeth can be _beyond_ immature. "Hey, where's Thalia? I didn't see her earlier."

Annabeth points at the dock. "She's sitting over there." I walk to the dock, and, sure enough, I see the familiar unruly black hair. As I cross the worn wooden boards, the creak underneath me. Thalia whips around in shock, but calms down after she sees me.

"Oh, it's just you," she says. She's dressed in a plain, cotton black tank top, a ripped pair of jean shorts, and ratty sneakers.

"Is that anyway to greet one of your best friends?" I joke, before plopping down next to her. She brings her knees to her chest and wraps her arms around them, staring off into the distance. "Why aren't you swimming?"

"Now _that_ is a stupid question," Thalia replies.

"Should I know the answer?" I ask.

"Gods, Percy, yes!" Thalia snaps, exasperated. "You should know!"

I feel like an idiot. "Umm...d'you maybe want to explain it to me?"

Thalia sighs. "Okay, fine. What happens when you try to go up in an airplane?"

"Zeus tries to blast me out of the sky," I answer promptly. "Oh...no, my dad won't do anything like that."

"He has before," Thalia snorts. "I stay away from water as much as possible, Percy."

"Try it now. Maybe nothing will happen," I suggest. Thalia rolls her eyes and takes off her shoes. Then, every so carefully, she sticks her foot in. The response is almost immediate. Lightning and thunder clash over head, reverberating through my very bones. Some campers look up in bewilderment, others shriek with horror. The water becomes choppy, and waves speed indignantly across the lake, all heading towards Thalia, becoming a monster, a humongous wave bigger than any I've ever seen. And where Thalia's foot is, a whirlpool starts, trying to drag the Daughter of Zeus down...down into its briny depths. Sighing, Thalia takes her foot out of the water, and just like that, everything...stops. The waves slow and settle back down, the lake becoming still except for a few ripples. The sky clears eventually, the stormy gray returning to the bright azure color it usually is, rays of sunlight breaking through. All is calm.

"Zeus and my father need to take a chill pill," I say after a long moment of silence. A burst of thunder startles me. "Zeus! Calm down! Can't you take a joke?"

"Apparently not," Thalia mutters.

"I guess you were right," I sigh. "But why don't you come to the beach? You don't have to get in the water or anything."

"I guess...it wouldn't hurt," Thalia says reluctantly, her eyes flickering slightly.

**Thalia's Point of View**

I nervously twirl Aegis around my wrist, watching the silver flash in the sunlight. I try to avoid beaches, lakes, rivers, seas...water in general at all costs. I have never stepped foot in a boat of any form, not even a canoe.

"Hey Thals," Annabeth says, her eye bright. "D'you wanna take a dip."

_Oh, gods, what am I supposed to do now?_ I think, my smile fading away.

"Annabeth! Watch out!" Percy cries before chucking a volleyball at her. It hits her in the head.

"Percy! What the Hades was that for!" Annabeth yells indignantly. She proceeds to yell at Percy for a few minutes, and he just...stands there. And he takes it. Only I know why he did it. He did it so that I wouldn't have to get into the water. Who knew Percy could do valiant?

"Thanks," I mutter under my breath, only loud enough for him to hear.

"No problem," he answers, apologizing to Annabeth who just huffs. Tired of this, I walk along the shore. I wish that I could swim. I used to love swimming. The feel of the water of my skin...it was something I longed to do. But when I was around seven, things tarted to change. I always got hurt, somehow, some way, when I was in the water.

I pretty much avoided water after that.

"So, Thalia, why aren't you in a bikini and dripping wet?" Travis smirks, walking up to me.

"Shove off," I snap.

"Ooh, touchy," Connor says, coming up behind me.

"Just leave me alone!" I snarl.

"Why won't you get into the water? Are you scared?" Travis asks me.

"By the gods, no," I sneer. "I'm just not in a swimsuit."

"Well, those shorts are short enough to be bikini bottoms," Connor says, the most innocent look you've ever seen on his face. My face probably has turned an unsightly shade of red.

"What the Hades! Just get away from me!" I yell. I swear everyone is looking at us.

"Why? You're fun to bother," Travis smiles.

"Argh!" I grunt, and push him backwards, slightly shocking him in the process. All of a sudden, I feel a shove from behind, and topple into the water.

**Percy's Point of View**

I watch as the Stoll brothers continue to bother Thalia. And I watch as Thalia grows more and more hacked off. Not a smart idea, really. No one in their right mind wants to tick off the Daughter of Zeus. But the Stoll brothers just won't stop, and soon Thalia looses control. She pushes Travis backwards, sending a shock through him, but not a hard one. But she's facing the wrong direction, and Connor sneaks up on her.

"Connor, no!" I shout, but it's too late, and he pushes her into the water.

Oh. My. Gods.

The sky turns gray and stormy, clouds swirling into a funnel. Lightning streaks down, brilliant sparks showering onto us. The lake rages, a huge wave crashing down on Thalia's body, sucking her into the middle of the lake.

"Annabeth!" she cries, her eyes wide, begging us to help her.

"Thalia!" Annabeth says shrilly, her eyes filled with tears. As rain pours into the lake, the water swirls into a whirlpool, slowly sucking Thalia down into the middle.

"Oh, gods," I whisper.

"Percy!" Annabeth chokes. "Help her. Save her." I nod and dive into the water. People gasp like I'm crazy. Gods curse them. I swim as hard as I can, and my abilities help, but Zeus and Poseidon are relentless. The waves throw me to and fro as Nereids swim by, heading towards Thalia, their faces murderous. Thalia's body continues to be sucked lower and lower. I rush over to Thalia, grabbing her hand after a couple of tries, the waves pushing her body just out of my grip. I try to propel myself forward, inching forward with Thalia floating lifelessly in my grip, her eyes closed, skin ghostly pale, only a few bubbles streaming out of her mouth. Pulling her along, I make it to the surface, a few yards from shore, before a huge tidal wave washes over Thalia and our hands a torn apart. I try desperately to find her again.

_Father. Stop. It was not her choice to come into the water. Help me locate her._ My father does not answer, but the storm calms down by a tenfold, and I can now see Thalia without being thrashed by waves. I grab her again, this time around her stomach, so there's no chance of her being forced away, and I swim upwards once more. I break the surface, gasping for air only slightly, and see that I am only about a yard away from the dock. Beckendorf holds out his huge hand and I grip it tightly; he pulls both Thalia and I onto the dock. As soon as I lie her on the floor, the storm instantly stops. The sky clears into a beautiful azure, and the lake turns glassy as though nothing every happened. I can even see the Nereids waving to me from the bottom, that familiar mischievous gleam in their eyes.

"Oh my gods, is she okay?" Annabeth's cheeks are full of fingernail imprints. Thalia sure didn't look okay. Her hair was plastered to her ghostly face, her clothes were ragged and ripped (not much different than they usually were), dribbles of water sometimes coming out of her mouth. Not good.

Silena gently places two fingers on the side of Thalia's neck and waits for a moment. "She's alive. She has a pulse."

"Awesome," I sigh, and run a hand through my hair. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Someone should give her mouth-to-mouth," someone suggests.

"Do you really want Thalia to wake up and find you giving her mouth to mouth? She's kill you. With _lightning,_" another person points out.

"Well, we have to so _something_," Annabeth says exasperatedly. "I'm starting to think mouth-to-mouth isn't such a bad idea."

"Fine. Who wants to do it?" I ask. The crowd is silent.

"I don't want her to fry me," a person says.

"Does _anyone_ want to help her?" I snap.

"Why don't _you_ do it, Percy," Silena suggests, a gleam in her eye that I have come to distrust.

"I-I...uh..." I stammer.

"Well, Seaweed Brain?" Annabeth asks. "Are you gonna do it or what?"

"Fine," I snarl, and start to lean over her, when...Thalia's eyes snap open, the pupils dilating and the irises more electric than ever. "Oh gods.

"_PERSEUS JACKSON!"_ she yells, sparks flickering on her skin. "_WE'RE YOU JUST ABOUT TO KISS ME?"_

"No! I was going to give you mouth-to-mouth," I say sheepishly. Everyone bursts into laughter. Thalia shrieks and a bolt of lightning wraps around me, shocking me and basically frying my clothes. The water on my body only makes her power stronger. She shocks me again and again.

Next time Chiron decides to give us a day off, I think I'll just go practice my swordsmanship in the arena.

**So? You like? Please review and tell me what you think! Just a reminder that the contest is still going strong, and the tenth reviewer will be able to pick a scene from the books or make up the plot of one of their own and I'll write it! Kudos to all my reviewers!**

**~lilmissf**


	7. Of Fighting, Assumptions, and Basketball

**Hey everybody! Here's a new chappie! It's short and...not entirely...sweet. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: No I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a game with cards and figurines about the Greek Gods, or anything else that comes with it. Rick Riordan does.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"What do you have in your head, kelp? I totally did _not_ make a foul!" Thalia seethes.

"Really? 'Cause it sure _looked_ like it to me!" I hiss back.

"You're just jealous because I'm such a good basketball player and I could pull off that maneuver," she snaps, sparks starting to flicker on her arms.

"Good? You're the worst basketball player I've ever seen!"

"Funny, since I'm winning!"

"This game doesn't count!"

"What are you talking about? Of course it counts!"

"Pinecone Face!"

"Seaweed Brain!"

"Would you two stop flirting? My siblings are trying to paint their nails and this insistent yelling is making them mess up," says an Aphrodite boy, coming up to us. He has tanned skin, light brown hair, and soft sky blue eyes.

"WHAT?" Thalia and I yell.

"What-" I glance at Thalia who's so mad her whole body is starting to crackle with electricity. "What makes you think that we were _flirting_?"

The boy shrugs and then smiles. "I know what I hear."

Thalia and I are silent before I douse him with water, and then Thalia screams and a volt of lightning comes out of the sky, hits her spear, and hits the boy squarely in the chest. Ouch. Her power is actually multiplied by water. The boy shrieks when he's shocked, but than a maniac sound comes out of his mouth.

"Oh. My. Gods. WHAT DID YOU DO TO MY HAIR?" he cries out. His caramel colored locks are standing straight on end. "I spent an hour and a half doing it this morning!"

"Too bad. You shouldn't have presumed that we were flirting," Thalia snaps. The boy runs back to his cabin, almost crying. Needless to say, Thalia and I double over in laughter, our fight forgotten.

Once Thalia stops gasping for air and I wipe the tears running down my face, Thalia stands straight up, her eyes serious. "We _never_, _ever_, speak to _anyone_ about this."

"Agreed," I reply.

**Heh. This chapter was sort of shorter than I had planned. Oh, well. But I finally got my tenth reviewer! Poseidon93! Poseidon93, you get to pick a scene from a book or make up a plot for a future chapter! Yay for you! And kudos for my reviewers, because they make me feel good about my writing!**

**~lilmissf**


	8. Of Godly Amends and Hand Holding

**I bring you...A NEW CHAPTER! This was inspired by Poseidon93. It's sort of an epilogue of the chapter Storms. So, this goes to you, Poseidon93! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, ornate, silver pieces of headgear, or anything else. Rick Riordan does.**

**Percy's Point of View**

Needless to say, I'm extremely worried. After that whole beach fiasco, Thalia stayed in her cabin for the rest of the day. She didn't come to dinner. She's not answering anyone, not even the Stoll brothers, who felt horrible about all the ruckus they caused. Not even me. I knocked on the door, asked her to open it, and got to the point where I threatened her to let me in 'or else.'

Great insult, Percy.

But now it's after the campfire, and I'm scared about what's going on with her. I hope she hasn't done anything...well, bad. I decide to head over and barge in, whether she likes it or not.

Apparently, she doesn't care, because I find her sitting on her bed, fully clothed, staring off into space. I make no move to sit by her, and she makes no move to invite me further into the room.

"Uhh...Thalia? Are you okay? You haven't come out of your room," I say nervously. She turns her gaze to me, but her eyes are unfocused and distracted.

"Did you know I used to be an amazing swimmer, Percy?" she whispers.

"What?" I ask, startled.

"I said, I used to be an amazing swimmer," she repeats, then sighs. "It's killing me, Percy. To not able to go into the water anymore without something happening, to not be able to swim anymore. I hate how I'm forbidden to do it. I'm restrained by the gods. And that's what I detest the most in life. Being restrained. That's one of the reasons why I ran away. My mom...my mom was big on rules and she liked to control. Control me. Control every freaking thing that I did." Her eyes are lackluster and lacking the electricity they used to posses, the electricity that I was immediately attracted to. They are dull and lifeless, without emotion or feeling.

And that kills me.

Maybe I could do something. My dad's the sea god, after all. Maybe...just maybe...I could talk to him. See if he could do something.

Abruptly, I stand up. "Thalia, come with me." I stretch out my hand, offering it to her. She looks at me suspiciously, and stretches out her cautiously. "Trust me." She takes it, and as soon as her hand touches mine, a tingle shoots through my hand and up my arm. She didn't shock me. It's nothing like that feeling. It's more like Destiny just told me something.

I lead her out of her cabin, holding her hand the whole way. I can't help but notice how her pale fingers are interlocked with mine tightly, causing me to blush. If Thalia notices, she doesn't say anything, thank gods. I pull her to the beach bordering the lake, and as soon as she sees where I'm taking her, she panics.

"Oh. My. Gods, Percy! Why did you take me here? All you're going to do is just make my dad and your dad mad, and when our dads get mad, _bad things happen_. Why the Hades did I agree to go along with this?" She moans, putting her hands over her eyes, digging her fingernails into her cheeks. I gently pry them away, which is quite hard, because her muscles are so tense. I brush a piece of hair out of her eyes and behind her ear.

"Thalia, all I'm asking you to do is trust me. I can make things right," I say softly.

She swallows nervously. "Okay. Fine. But if you end up killing me, I swear on the River Styx I'll be reborn and I will come and hunt you do and kill you."

"Fine." I roll my eyes, dragging her to the dock. She puts up a little of a struggle, but I pull her hard, and she tumbles to her knees, landing on the front two boards of the dock.

"Percy! Be more careful! If you had pulled only a little bit harder, I would have fell into the water!" Thalia shrieks.

"This is the exact reason I brought you along with me," I mutter. I reach out with the hand Thalia is not clutching, and stick it in the water, feeling the ocean's power rise in my body.

_Hey...umm...dad? Could we maybe talk? I promise it will only take a couple of minutes, _I think.

_Wha-? Oh, hello Percy. Yes, we can talk, but only if it will take a couple of minutes; I am quite busy._ My father's voice speaks to me in my mind.

_I wanted to talk to you about Thalia._

_ Daughter of Zeus? _ I can hear the resentment and the distaste in his voice.

_Father, do not judge her. She did not choose to be Daughter of Zeus anymore than I did to be Son of Poseidon. And yet she is punished. She is not allowed to set foot in water without you and Lord Zeus getting very mad. And I want that to change,_ I think, picking my words carefully.

_What do you mean?_

_ Could you maybe allow her to swim in the water without attacking her and having her almost die?_

_ It is the ancient laws, my son. Children of the Big Three were never allowed to set foot in any of the other's territory. I cannot change it._

_ Please, Father. She is a good person, and I feel that she deserves it. She used to love swimming, and she misses it terribly. Please._

There is a long moment of silence.

_I suppose...I suppose I will be able to grant your wish. This girl, Thalia, will be able to swim in the water again. But lest she befoul it in any way...she will feel my wrath. _

_ Oh, thank you, father. Thank you so much._

_ You're welcome, my son._

"Well?" Thalia whispers. "What's going on?"

I smile, a triumphant look full of pride gracing my face. "You can swim as much as you want from here on, as long as you don't do anything to harm the ocean." Thalia gapes at me.

"Oh my gods, Percy, thank you so much! This is awesome!"

"Well?" I ask. "What are you waiting for? Get in the water!"

She blushes. "I'm not wearing a swimsuit."

"Then go get one on!" Thalia pries her fingers away from mine, walking over to her cabin. I flex my fingers, feeling blood circulate back into them, but realize that I...sort of miss having her hand attached to mine.

**Hehe. Looks like the romance is heating up for these two...or is it? Review and tell me what you think and what you want to see in the future! But Thalia, remember...fish are friends...or more! BTW, that quote was made up by Opal21. Just to let you go. Please, please, PLEASE review! Virtual cookies to all who do!**

**Until next time.**

**~lilmissf**


	9. Of Swimming and Awkward Timing

**Hey! No, I'm not dead, it's just school is getting in the way. Honestly, I just came back from spring break, and I've already had two quizzes! All the teachers seem not to think, 'oh, it's almost summer, let's back off,' but, 'oh, it's almost summer, there's so much to do, let's pile on the homework load in HEAPS!' So, now that I'm done with that rant, I present to you a new chappie! YAY! This was inspired by GleekPJOFreak, who suggested this one-shot be about Thalia and Percy after Thalia gets back from putting her suit on. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, a talking, flying black horse, or anything else that comes with it. Rick Riordan does.**

**Percy's Point of View**

When Thalia got back from putting her suit on, I was swishing my feet back and forth in the water, creating tiny ripples that fan out across the otherwise glassy surface. She appears suddenly, right behind me, wearing a simple, black one piece bathing suit.

And...I have to admit...she looks pretty beautiful.

No, not the Aphrodite girls' type of beautiful. Aphrodite girls are hot. They wear skimpy bikinis, paint themselves with make-up, and drape on jewelry so extensively you'd think their thin little limbs would snap. Thalia is an entirely different beautiful. She's so pure, so elegant, so simple, yet striking with her startling blue eyes and her black hair. Her swimsuit hugs her body like a second skin, but it's not revealing, not at all.

She blushes when she notices my eyes scanning up and down her body, then her eyes narrow. "You about done there, Seaweed Brain?" I immediately blush, feeling the heat spread across my cheeks, looking down at the water.

"Oh, just get into the water and swim, Pinecone Face," I snap back.

"Fine," she shrugs, and walks over to the edge of the dock. She stretches her arms above her head, locks her arms tight, her body arching flexibly as she leaps off the dock. She does a perfect dive, barely making a wave as she plunges into the water. She's right. She is a good swimmer. I jump into the water, too, less gracefully than Thalia. The water envelopes over my head, submerging my body. I can see Thalia in the gloom, flipping in the water, swimming to her heart's content. I think I hear a faint laugh from her once or twice, and her mouth is turned up into a small, soft smile that makes her face less...hard.

A motion for her to the surface, and she kicks upwards, leaving a stream of bubbles in her wake. I wait until her head beaks the surface, streams of water pouring over her face from her hair. She takes a huge gulp of air.

"So?" I ask, raising an eyebrow. "How does it feel to swim?"

"Oh, it feels _amazing_ Percy!" she breathes, her lips spreading open into a wide grin that makes her eyes brighter. "I've never swam since I was little, y'know, and getting back in...it's like a dream come true! Thank you _so_ much for doing whatever you did!" She tackles me into a huge hug, knocking the air out of my lungs.

"You're...wel...come..." I struggle to form words, gasping for air.

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" A sugary sweet voice says. Thalia and I jerk apart, looking up to find a seriously ticked off Annabeth and a delighted Silena. Behind them come more campers, and Chiron. The Stoll brothers burst into loud laughter.

"_What are you doing?_" Annabeth hisses. "We've been looking for you for _hours!_"

"Oh, don't worry about that, Annabeth, thay are unbelievably cut together!" Silena squeals, clasping her hands. Chiron trots up, looking furious.

"What do you have to say for yourselves?" he demands.

Thalia looks at me, and I curse. "Oh, Hades."

**So...did you like? Please, review! Thanks!**

**~lilmissf**


	10. Of Tools and Teams

**No, I am not dead...just busy. EXTREMELY busy. Like, not even kidding. Anyways, I'm long overdue for some Percy/Thalia, so, here is a new chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians or anything else that comes with it; that includes mechanical spiders that lead the way through the Labyrinth. Rick Riordan does. **

**Percy's Point of View**

"No! I want Thalia on my team!"

"You already have Percy! You can't have two children of the Big Three!" I sigh as the Hermes and Apollo Cabins continue to bicker over who gets Thalia and I on their team during capture the flag. Thalia looks about ready to kill someone.

"Yeah, well, you have Ares!"

"It's still not fair if you get _both_ Thalia and Percy!"

Tiny blue sparks of electricity run up and down Thalia's pale skin. She looks absolutely _steaming_. "Why do you guys always talk about us like we're some _tool _or something? We can hear you, you know!" With that enraged outburst, she storms off, stumbling into the woods. I glare at the Apollo and Hermes campers, who look ashamed, slightly afraid, and embarrassed.

"Great job," I mutter, before sprinting into the woods after Thalia. After fighting my way through a couple of brambles, bushes, and branches, I stumble upon her. Her back is facing towards me; she's looking at a pine tree, her fists clenched and her body shaking slightly.

"Thals," I murmur softly. She whirls around as I come up behind her, tapping her bracelet which causes Aegis to expand, her spear clutched in her left hand, her muscles tensed, poised to throw. I place my hands up, like a man trying to surrender. "Gods, Thalia. Tense much?"

"Sorry," she mutters, retracting her shield and collapsing her spear, though her muscles are still tense. "I'm just...y'know...on an edge."

"Yeah," I acknowledge to her stony presence. "I saw the way you blew up back there. Mind explaining?" Thalia gives a short huff and turns to face me, her arms crossed tightly, her blue eyes brighter than normal. Then she sighs.

"Percy, they treat us like a tool. Like something that's only worth what it can do. No one actually cares about us as people. They just care about us because of the prophecy, or who our parents are, or whatever. You know that half the people up on Olympus want to kill both of us? Because of some stupid prophecy? All they care about is whether we're going to destroy Olympus or not." I think about Thalia's words. It's hard to admit, but they have some truth in them. "And, also, the attention is a pain in the ass. People stare at me everywhere I go. Same goes for you. And they're so damn reverential, I could just keel over and die."

"Easy for you to say," I snicker. "I, for one, love to be a celebrity to squids." Thalia shocks me gently, just hard enough for the buzzing feeling to tingle my spine, but I look back up and she's smiling. "You know, Pinecone Face, when you said that, you sounded a lot like...Luke."

Instantly, Thalia's face hardens. Her muscles go rigid and she balls up her fists. She turns slightly away from me, so now I can only see her profile. "Luke doesn't have anything to do with this."

"Thalia, you have to admit, you sound kind of like Luke when you rant like this."

"Percy, all demigods have felt like this before. You have, and I'm feeling it right now because of the stupid prophecy. So don't blame Luke, because he's no the only one who's felt like this. We all have." Her words pierce the air like razor-sharp daggers.

"Well," I mutter ashamedly. "I guess-"

"You know what? I just don't really want to talk about this anymore. It's fine. Sorry I brought it up." And with that, the Daughter of Zeus is gone.

**Meh. Not my best work, but I think it's pretty good, considering I was on major writer's block on top of everything else. Anyways, I will try to update soon, but it might be a little late since I have a very busy weekend. Please, review! And thanks to all who reviewed! You rock my socks off!**

**~lilmissf**


	11. Of Conversations and Cheeseburgers

**Hi there! I bring you a new chapter...about Thalia and Percy. Duh. In Demigod Files, the sorta left us hanging after the Sword of Hades...so this chappie explains what Thalia and Percy did after they crushed the roses. ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: Wow, I still don't own Percy Jackson and the Olympians, billowing, poisonous green fire, or anything else from the series. What a surprise.**

**Percy's Point of View**

_ Thalia nodded. "In that case, still up for dinner?"_

_ I couldn't help but smile. "After all that, you're hungry?"_

_ "Hey," she said, "even immortals have to eat. I'm thinking cheeseburgers at McHale's"_

_ And together we crushed the roses that would return us to the world._

McHale's was crowded and raucous, with boisterous people that shouted over the loud din. It was steamy inside from all of the body heat, but I didn't mind, not one bit, because it was still freezing cold outside.

I imagined what we must look like to everyone. A girl in a silver hunting jacket with camouflage cargo pants, a silver tiara placed lopsidedly on her unruly, spiky black hair, twirling a heavy silver bracelet around her extremely thin wrist. A boy, his school uniform almost ripped to shreds, a long red mark on one of his shoulders, a ballpoint pen clutched in his hand.

I'm sure we made quite an impression.

I spent the last hour or so catching up with Thalia. I mean, I haven't seen her in a year. She's changed a lot. And not just physically, although her hair is much longer now, just brushing her collarbone. Her cheekbones are slightly more prominent, and her body is thinner than I remember, but there are hints of muscle all over her limbs. One of the perks of being a Hunter, I guess. But Thalia seems more subdued, less reckless than I remember, almost contented with whatever is going on. I guess time has slowed down for her, making her less on edge. I still remember Bianca Di Angelo telling me the same thing when she became a Hunter.

I told her about everything that had happened: how Nico Di Angelo had run away and conferred with Minos, Daedalus, the Battle of the Labyrinth. But I talked about personal things, too. Rachel, my mom, Paul Blofis. She was really interested in what I had to say, even the most boring things, like how I did on a quiz. I realized that she was drinking in my whole, normal, (well, about as normal as you could get for a demigod and a son of one of the Big Three) life, as though it was refreshing her, listening closely to every little detail. A pang went through my chest as I thought about how she would never take another quiz. Never go to school. Never be around boys, never marry, never have kids. She would stay a maiden forever. In fifty years she would still look sixteen. I realized with a start that I was almost as old as her.

"Why did you become a Hunter?" I blurted out, without thinking. Curse my ADHD.

Thalia stared at me for a moment, her eyes narrowed in a combination of bewilderment and sadness. She kept twirling Aegis around her wrist, picking listlessly at her half-eaten cheeseburger for such a long time I thought she wasn't going to answer. But then she murmured quietly, "Percy, I needed a home."

"But, Thalia," I hear myself whine, like a little child. "Camp Half-Blood could have been your home. You could have stayed with Annabeth, Grover, and...me."

"Percy, most people think I accepted Artemis' request of becoming her Lieutenant because I didn't want to be a child of the Prophecy. I guess that that was part of it. But really, the Prophecy...my sixteenth birthday came much too quickly. Too quickly for me to have time to think about it. I mean, the first few months I had to get back in sync with the rest of the world and pretend like the Prophecy didn't exist. Then, right before my birthday, I realized I was still out of sync with the world. I was in a different time. My body and my mind hadn't adapted yet. I needed to be...out of a commission, at least for a while. So I could think about everything: Bianca, The hunters, you...Luke." She swallowed hard and blinked her eyes when she said his name. "If I became a Hunter, I could sort out all of my problems. Think about things. Catch up with the rest of the world. And I also needed a home."

"But Camp Half-Blood-" I started to say, but Thalia cut me off.

"Camp Half-Blood was a temporary resting place. I could never stay there permanently, and you know it, Percy. I don't fit in there. I've always been an outsider. And I've never really had a home before. I know I lived with my mom in our house, but that place was a miserable hellhole. In fact, being on the run with Annabeth and Luke was the only time I ever had the sense of being at home. I thought about this for a long time. Then I thought, well, maybe I'm a traveler. Maybe wherever I go is my home. But I needed more than just a home."

"Oh?" I asked, my curiosity piqued.

"Yeah. I needed a place to belong."

**REVIEW! PLEASE! Today is my birthday (no joke) and the best birthday present would be REVIEWS! Thanks so much!**

**~lilmissf**


	12. Of Rumors and Lava Fights

**I'm BAAAAACCCKKKK! Thanks for all the happy birthdays, I had a FANTASTIC birthday and it was BEYOND AWESOME! As a favor to GleekPJOFreak and 003keyblader, I've decided to continue the little saga of the 'swimming incident,' the previous chapters being **_**Storms, Percy Makes Ammends, **_**and **_**Thalia and Percy Take A Little Dip**_**. So, without further ado, the new chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson. But honestly, are you surprised?**

**Percy's Point of View**

"But Chiroooooonnn!" Silena whines. "They are _beyond adorable_! How could you punish them? It's just love!"

"_LOVE_?" Thalia and I yelp simultaneously, still shivering even under thick, fluffy towels.

"Silena, my dear, that is not the problem. The problem is that Percy and Thalia broke the rules by staying out later than curfew allowed. And for that they must be punished," Chiron explained.

"I agree. Which punishment shall we give them?" Annabeth asks, her expression livid, arms crossed over her chest, her eyes a stormy gray.

"Annabeth!" Thalia protests. "Whose side are you on?"

"My side," Annabeth snaps, and walks off in a huff.

"What the Hades is her problem?" Thalia demands furiously, clutching the towel tighter around her dripping body. "You would think we were juvenile delinquents." She pauses for a moment, considering her words. "Actually, I guess we are juvenile delinquents...but that's not the point!"

"Chiron, can't you give us a break? I was just taking Thalia swimming since she hasn't been swimming since she was seven!" I say, defiance lacing my voice.

"Yeah, Percy, you were '_just swimming_,'" Travis Stoll smirks, and I snarl at him.

"We were!" Thalia insists.

"Mhmm, whatever you say," Connor Stoll says, sarcasm seeping into his tone.

"But we were! Why don't you guys believe us?" I shout.

"Percy, De Nile is not only just a river in Egypt," Silena chides, placing a thin hand on my shoulder. "Face it: you and Thalia are totally falling for each other!"

"Listen, Silena, there is no way in Hades that we are-" Thalia snaps, electricity sparking on her skin, before Chiron interrupts her.

"We were talking about Thalia and Percy's punishment," he points out, and all of the campers fall silent, though most of them are fluent in silent-language.

"I say that they have a picnic on the lake!" Silena suggests. I face palm myself.

"Silena, that's not a punishment, that's a reward," Clarisse snaps. "These punks need to get what's coming to them."

"You dare call me punk?" Thalia hisses, her eyes bright with electricity, one hand clutched around her spear, the other poised to press Aegis.

"Bring it on!"

"Oh, trust me, when I'm done with you-!"

"Clarisse! Thalia!" Chiron thunders, and both of the girls fall silent, ugly grimaces on their faces. "Percy and Thalia, you two will be on dish duty tomorrow night. Wear protective gear."

Thalia and I start to protest, but Silena interrupts us. "CHIRON! Dish duty _so_ totally does _not_ spell out romance!"

"Yeah, we'll take dish duty," I say hurriedly, and Thalia nods in agreement.

**Thalia's Point of View**

Washing dishes in lava while wearing bulky, heavy protective gear is definitely _not_ one of my favorite pastimes. I've gotten burned at least three times so far.

"Thanks a lot Seaweed Brain, this is all your fault," I mutter.

"_My fault_?" Percy spits, his eyes narrowing dangerously as he starts to scrub a dirty plate furiously with a handful of molten lava. "I was just trying to be nice, Pinecone Face!" I bite my lip. He was trying to be nice. Really nice. And I just yelled at him.

"You're right," I sigh resignedly. "I'm sorry. It was an awesome thing you did for me, and I really appreciate it." Percy didn't answer; his back was facing towards me. "Percy?" I ask hesitantly, taking a tentative step towards him. "Percy?" Another step. All of a sudden, Percy whirls around, a malicious grin spreading over his features, and throws a handful of lava into my face.

"Ahhhh!" I screech, as it flings onto my helmet. I scrape it off the best I can, but my vision is now slightly distorted. "Oh, you are so going to get it, Kelp Head!" I hiss, scooping up a gob of lava and flinging it at him. It hits Percy in the chest.

"Thalia!" he screams, clawing at his chest.

"Thalia," I mimic, grinning as I scoop up another handful of the burning hot sludge.

"THALIA!" Percy shouts, and a couple of minutes of lava-flinging, laughing hysteria ensue. Then, after a very successful throw of lava that lands on his head, Percy abandons the lava fight and instead tackles me to the ground, landing on top of me.

"Per...cy..." I gasp. Gods, he is heavy! "I...geroff...me...you're...hea-" A loud, shrill giggle interrupts me, and Percy and I turn in horror to find Silena Beauregard and one of her siblings, a tall caramel-haired green-eyed girl that covers her mouth with her hand, blushing and stifling girlish giggles.

"OH! MY! GODS!" Silena shrieks, taking out a camera and snapping a photo of us before we can move. Thalia and I are startled and shocked to the point of being numb, like a deer in headlights.

"OH! MY! GODS!" her half-sister squeals, jumping up and down and clapping her hands. They then hold hands and jump up and down in a circle spinning joyfully around all while shrieking with giggles. Then they run out of the room, their camera clutched in Silena's hand.

"Oh, Hades," Percy moans, getting off of me.

I'm silent for a moment before saying lividly, "I am going to _murder_ Travis Stoll for starting this whole mess."

**And thus ends the saga of the Storms! Yay! I need ideas, everyone, I'm running low on inspiration! Please, review! Thanks!**

**~lilmissf**


	13. Of Battles and Breakfast

**I am back! Guys, I seriously want to thanks you guys sooooo much! Every day my inbox is flooded with Story Alerts alerts, and Favorite Story alerts, and Review alerts...and...YOU GUYS ARE TOTALLY AMAZING! YOU ROCK MY SOCKS OFF! Onto other matters, here's the latest installment of **_**Of Shocks and Seashells.**_** Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Do you really expect me to say that yes, I do own Percy Jackson? I mean, that would change things up a bit, but still.**

**Percy's Point of View**

It's currently breakfast, and I'm not eating, no, not at all. Instead, I'm watching Thalia, who looks so small and weak and tiny at her large table. Her eyes are red rimmed and her lip quivers dangerously ever so often. Her fingers tremble as she lifts the heavy golden goblet to her mouth, taking a small sip.

I sigh. Yesterday she got into a fight with an Ares girl named Molpadia, **(A/N: She was one of the bravest women in the Greek Myths and an Amazon. Her name means 'Death Song' Cheerful, right?)** and, well, let's just say...things didn't end that well for her. In fact, I think I distinctly heard crying emitting from her cabin last night...not that I would mention that; she would rip my head off. And I don't really want that to happen.

But still, she looks like she could use a friend right now. I know I could use one; I have no one to talk to at my table either. One of the disadvantages of being the forbidden child of one of the Big Three. But if she's lonely and hurt, and I'm also lonely, then there's only one thing to do.

I walk over to her table and plunk down onto the bench opposite of her.

At first she doesn't notice me because she's so intent on looking at her food and not eating it, but when I clear my throat, her head snaps up faster than you could say, 'Oh gods.'

"Percy!" Thalia hisses, her eyes darting around at the campers who gape at us with opens mouths and wide eyes. "What the Hades are you _doing_?"

"Being nice," I reply. "You should try it sometime." Thalia looks affronted, then she crosses her arms.

"Seaweed Brain, you broke the rules. This is _not_ going to fly with the gods; it's going to majorly going to piss them off," Thalia snaps.

"In case you haven't noticed, Pinecone Face, I have a talent for pissing off the gods," I say back, nonchalantly plucking a blueberry off of her plate.

"Percy, get away from me! Chiron's coming!" Thalia says through gritted teeth, her icy eyes flickering back and forth from Chiron and I.

"Thalia, I'm worried about you!" I protest. "After that fight yesterday, I-"

"You don't need to be worried, I'm fi-"

"Perseus Jackson!" Annabeth yells, stomping up to me, Chiron trotting quickly after her. She lowers her voice into a scathing hiss. "What in the name of _Zeus_ are you doing?"

"Listen, Wise Girl," I snap, fed up with this entire mess. "I didn't know that being nice was so difficult to do. So, I am so _dreadfully_ sorry I ruined your breakfast by being nice to one of my best friends."

"Watch your tone, Percy," Annabeth snarls, her gray eyes steely. I almost cower in fear, she looks so much like her mother, Athena, right now.

"What? Are you jealous, Owl Head?" I taunt, becoming reckless.

"NO! Why in Hades would I be jealous?" Annabeth bellows, but I notice a slight flush spreading over her tan cheeks.

"Listen guys, if this is going to cause so much trouble, why doesn't Percy just go back to his ta-" Thalia starts, holding up her hands in a calming gesture.

"Stay out of this, Thalia," Annabeth snarls, glaring at me.

"Don't tell me what to do, Annabeth!" Thalia snaps, her eyes dangerously bright. "Besides, this is between Kelp Head and I!"

"Don't call me a Kelp Head, Static Face!" **(A/N: Yeah, I know, not the best insult. Please help me think of more by leaving ideas in your reviews!)** I growl.

"Shut up, Seaweed Brain! Thalia, stop arguing with us!"

"You can't control me, Annabeth, no matter how much you want to!" Thalia screams.

"I don't want to control anyone, Pinecone Face!" Annabeth snaps.

"Yes you do!" I yell. Both girls turn on me.

"Stay out of this!" They both shriek simultaneously.

"I was in it from the start!" I hiss back.

"Annabeth, why are you even here? You're the one causing all of this trouble!" Thalia screeches, accusingly pointing her finger at her.

"Percy started it! He was the one who sat at your table! Now the gods are going to destroy us all!" Annbeth growls.

"Rather over dramatic, aren't you?" Thalia remarks.

"I was just trying to be nice!" I protest at the same time.

"Okay, wait. Percy was trying to be nice, so Thalia gets mad at him, then Annabeth gets mad at Percy for sitting at Thalia's table, and Percy is mad at her at interfering, and Annabeth's mad because Thalia and Percy are spending time together, and Thalia's mad because Annabeth's acting like a spoiled brat? Guys, face it: Thalia and Percy like each other and Annabeth is just jealous," an Aphrodite girl says, coming up to us. She has chocolate-coloured hair that falls in one wave down to the small of her back, soft azure eyes, and glowing, tan skin.

"STAY OUT OF THIS!" Annabeth, Thalia, and I all scream.

"Wait, what?" I ask, bewilderment seeping into my tone.

"For the last godsdamn time, Percy and I do _not_ have a crush on each other!" Thalia snaps exasperatedly.

"Language," Annabeth warns Thalia.

"Don't be my mother, Annabeth! I'm much older than you, so don't pretend like you're more mature than me!"

"You were stuck in a tree. We don't know how old you are," Annabeth says triumphantly.

"Ouch, harsh," I comment.

"Shut up," Thalia growls, but I can see hurt in her eyes.

"Percy! Thalia! Annbeth!" Chiron roars, cantering over to us. "That is ENOUGH! You have all just been _grounded_! You may not leave you cabins until this time tomorrow!"

Annabeth gasps. "But...b-but Chiron!"

"The grounding is effective _now_," Chiron says, and Thalia, Annabeth, and I trudge out of the dining pavillion amid stares, whispers, and gapes.

"Camp Half-Blood," I mutter as I make my way to Cabin Number Three. "Where breakfast can turn into a war. Literally."

**I think the characters might have been a little too OOC...Did you like it? Please, review! Thanks so much!**

**~lilmissf  
**


	14. Of Saviors and Swords

**I seriously wanted to do a Capture the Flag one-shot, so here it is! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Can I just say already disclaimed? If not, no, I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Ready, Seaweed Brain?" I ask, excitement buzzing through my veins (or is it just the electricity surging through my spear?) I smirk at Percy's pronounced scowl.

"Don't call me that, Pinecone Face," Percy snaps back. I grin. Percy and I always banter before a battle of Capture the flag.

"Just try to keep up," I sigh, a grin lacing my lips.

"Thalia, remember, you and Percy are supposed to get the flag quickly and _quietly_, so it's not about speed," Travis commands, before stalking off to heckle someone else.

"Who died and made him king?" I mutter, only loud enough for Percy to hear. He lets out a burst of laughter, causing Travis to look back at us and give us a glare.

Today's teams are Zeus, Poseidon, Hermes, Demeter, Hephaestus, and Dionysus against Athena, Ares, Aphrodite, and Apollo. Pretty evenly matched teams, if you ask me, but I am not looking forward to going up against Annabeth. Gods, that girl is smart when it comes to Capture the Flag. But she's no match for Percy and I; I admit it, we make an unstoppable team.

"Demeter, with Hermes. You'll charge the other team, creating a distraction so that Thalia and Percy can take a wide loop and sneak around the back. Make it good, but not too good. We want it to look natural. Hephaestus, you'll be in charge of defense. Beckendorf, you and your siblings need to set up as many traps as you have. What've you got?" Connor Stoll barks out orders rapidly.

"Trip wires, Greek fire, camouflaged pits...you name it, we've got it," Beckendorf smirks, and his siblings nod along behind him. Connor turns to Percy and I.

"You guys, be careful, but take some risks. We wouldn't want this game to be boring, now would we?"

"We totally got this," I say confidently, and Percy nods in agreement, drawing out his sword. I tap Aegis lightly and the bronze and silver shield expands, causing some of the team to cower in fear and nervously back away.

"Way to make 'em scared, Thals," Percy mutters, and I smack him on the head with the grip of my spear. He retaliates by slapping my on the back with the flat of his sword. I wince, though not really in pain, and Percy smirks.

"Stop fooling around!" Beckendorf snaps, and Percy and I immediately stop. I give him a side glance and we nearly burst into laughter again.

"Everybody clear?" Connor asks, and, without waiting for an answer, he continues on. "Good. Let's wait for the horn-" His words are interrupted by a long note of a horn, resonating throughout the forest.

"Blue Team, move out!" Beckendorf roars, and Percy and I immediately take off into the woods.

**PJO**

"Okay, so when we trailed their guards, they were about here," Percy says, prodding the map with his finger. "So then, their flag must be somewhere around here," he says, sliding his finger to the left, circling a small area.

"Good rationalizing," I murmur quietly, not wanting to attract any unnecessary attention. I quietly furl the map back up, snapping a rubber band around it, then sticking it into a small back I have on my side. Quickly adjusting my form-fitting helmet, which has gotten a tad crooked, I stand up, brushing the dirt off of my pants. Percy does the same, twisting his fingers around Anaklusmos. I smirk. I can't give up an opportunity to tease him.

"Be careful Percy: wouldn't want you to cut off your fingers or anything," I say snidely.

"Your fingers aren't the only things that are going to be cut off," an icy voice says behind us. Percy and I freeze, both of us gripping our weapons, before turning around. Annabeth and about a dozen Ares warriors have surrounded us, weapons pointing menacingly.

"Oh, Gods," Percy says before cursing in Greek.

"_Erre es krokas,_" (1). I hiss, causing a murmur of dissent.

"Prepare to be crushed," Annabeth says triumphantly.

"I think we can take them," I mutter under my breath, only loud enough for Percy to hear. "On the count of three. One" The Ares campers start to advance. "Two." Annabeth slaps on her cap and disappears. "THREE!" I shout, and Percy and I draw our weapons as the Ares campers charge towards us, blades flashing and shields glinting dully in the fading sunlight. As the first Ares camper reaches us, I spot their face and snarl. It's Molpadia. Man, I hate that girl so much. She clumsily swings her sword at me, which I easily parry and send flying; it lands sticking hilt up in the dirt a few feet away. I knock her back with Aegis, and she stumbles into one of her siblings, who is fighting Percy, and they both crash to the ground, moaning feebly. I slam the next one in the face with my shield, then smack him in the stomach with the blade of my spear. As he doubles over in pain, Percy whips the Riptide out and sends the big brute flying. I hold out my spear towards the next three Ares campers and call out to the sky, praying to my dad. An enormous volt of electricity, bigger than I've ever summoned, comes streaking down from the sky, surging into my spear and then flying back out, hitting the three Ares campers in the chests, shocking them and singing their hair. They fall to the ground, unmoving, almost unconscious.

"Good job, Thals," Percy shouts, as her successfully disarms two more Ares campers. I take a break, leaning on my spear for support, panting hard. I am just thinking about how there's only five campers left, including Annabeth, and we can take them, when one of the Ares campers knocks Riptide out of Percy's hands, and it clatters on the forest floor a good five yards away. Another Ares camper advances, holding his sword out menacingly, as Percy stands there, weak, helpless. It's too early for the Riptide to return. Just as the Ares camper starts to swing the blade down Percy, I do the stupidest thing I may have ever done in my life. (2).

I run in front of Percy, screaming, "NO!" and take the blade for him.

The blade slices through not only the jacket and the shirt I am wearing, but also my skin. I grit my teeth as I feel the sword twisting my flesh, slicing through my skin, before yanking free. Shocked for a moment, I press my hand to the deep, long gash on my stomach and feel the slipperiness of the blood sliding over my palm, before keeling over and collapsing onto the ground. Oh, gods, it hurts so bad! Like someone gouged open my whole stomach, doused it with kerosene and then lit a match, then slathered it with dragon poison.

Percy is immediately by my side, and so are all of the other campers, looking extremely worried. "Thalia!" His voice is faint and wobbly, like talking underwater. My vision goes black for a second as I convulse, before it returns, blurrier then before.

"Oh my Gods, Thalia!" Annabeth's voice is almost inaudible.

"Thalia...you've got to hold on..." _I'm trying to_, _Percy,_ I think, as I struggle to keep hold on the edge of a deep abyss of unconsciousness. But my grip starts to slip, and I black out again, only for a few moments. The smell of blood, metallic and salty, brings me back to reality, but only briefly. Percy is gripping my hand tightly, the other hand pressing over my bloody wound, trying to staunch the flow, but there's too much, too much blood for him to stop it. I hear people shouting for Chiron, for nectar, for ambrosia.

"Thalia..." Percy says, and that's the last thing I hear before I lose my grip and fall, down, down, down into unconsciousness.

**Percy's Point of View**

I stand, frozen and numb, my fingers closing around what used to bet the hilt of Riptide, watching helplessly as the Ares camper advances, sword thrust out, pointed directly at my stomach. I wince as the blade rushes down, cringing with fear. Then stare as absolute horror as Thalia leaps in front of me, crying out, taking the blade instead.

Numbness spreads through my body. No, no, no, no, no...this _cannot_ be happening. No. It can't. But as I stare at Thalia, who is pressing her hand over the jagged wound on her thin stomach, almost surprised as she lifts her hand back to her face and sees her blood spattered on it, then collapses, I know that it can.

And it just happened.

The world blurs around me and the air leaves my lungs, like I'm being squeezed by a steamroller. I rush over to Thalia, kneeling beside her broken form, watching as blood spills out of her stomach, almost black in the fading afternoon light. The Ares campers are still shocked to move, but Annabeth pulls off her cap, suddenly visible, her light gray eyes startled and wide with fear.

"Thalia..." I say softly, her eyes blinking slowly as more blood spills out. She convulses for a moment, a river of crimson pouring out, her body arching into a 'C' shape, before she goes unconscious for a moment.

"Oh, my Gods, Thalia!" Annabeth cries out, a shimmering tear trickling down her cheek as she stares down at her oldest friend, wounded horribly. Thalia's eyes flicker open again, but they're lackluster and don't have the spark of electricity she usually has. Her skin is pale, so pale it would make snow look gray, so pale the spray of freckles across her cheekbones look like ants swarming. I think of how she looks exactly like how she looked the day I first met her. She goes unconscious again, and this time the other campers come to their senses, some darting off wildly into the thick foliage, shouting for Chiron, while others kneel besides Thalia, screaming for nectar and ambrosia. Her eyes open once more, but the movement is wrong; it's sluggish, almost like she's a fly trapped in amber. I grip her hand tightly, so tightly my knuckles begin to pop, and I press the other hand over the wound, trying not to cringe when I feel her blood touch my hand. But the flow's too strong, and there's too much blood already in a puddle around her.

"Thalia...you've got to hold on..." I plead, watching her slowly drain of energy and consciousness. Her lips move slightly; she's trying to tell my something. But, it drains her of energy, and her eyes slowly begin to dim. "Thalia..." Her eyes shut softly, and her breathing gets shakier. I curl my fists as tears threaten to make an appearance. I have to be strong. I...I can get through this.

Chiron domes trotting over, roused by the cries of anxious campers; his face pales when he sees Thalia on the ground in a puddle of not yet cold blood. Without asking, he quickly hauls Thalia onto his back, making sure she's on comfortably before galloping back to the Big House. Annabeth lets out a sudden sob; her cheeks are covered with pearly tear tracks that shimmer faintly in the fading light. I grab her hand tightly and start to run; she trips and stumbles before running to keep up with me.

"Come on," I say to Annabeth. "Thalia needs us."

**~PJO~**

"This is all my fault," Annabeth moans, pouring more nectar into Thalia's still-fresh wound.

"Annabeth, anymore nectar and she's going to burn up," I snap, yanking the canteen of nectar from her hands. "And Zeus above, it's not your fault! It's capture the flag, for Herra's sake! You had no way of knowing what was going to happen! So stop saying it! It's getting _beyond_ annoying!"

"I'm sorry!" Annabeth sobs, hiccuping a bit, then throwing her arms around me. I, unsuspecting her bold move, promptly fall to the floor, with Annabeth landing on top of me.

"Jeez, Annabeth, quit it!" I mumble. "Now get off!" Annabeth complies, letting out another suppressed sob. I feel bad for her; Thalia is one of her oldest friends, and it must kill her to see Thalia like this.

"I just wish she would wake up, so I can tell her how sorry I am!" Annabeth says, wiping her eyes. As though roused by Annabeth's words, Thalia's electric blue eyes flutter open.

**Thalia's Point of View**

When I first pull myself out of the depths of unconscious, I notice something: my head hurts really bad. So does my stomach, for that matter. It feels like someone rammed a sword into it. Then I remember: oh, yeah, someone _did_ ram a sword into my stomach.

I can hear snatches of conversation as I struggle to open my eyes.

"...sorry!"

"...it! Now get..."

"I just wish...so I can tell her...I am!" At that moment I find I can now control my eyelids, and my eyes flutter open. I see a worried-out-of-her-mind Annabeth and a mildly pissed Percy.

I gasp as a shock of pain goes through my body when Annabeth tackle-hugs me.

"Thalia! You're alright!" She exclaims joyously.

"Annabeth, for someone so smart, you're being pretty dumb right now," Percy says, gently pulling Annabeth off of me. I send him a look of silent thanks. "You just hugged Thalia."

"So?"

"After she's had a sword thrust into her stomach."

"...right...sorry 'bout that, Thals."

"It's fine," I reply, but my stomach aches so badly I have to bite down a curse.

"Hey, Thalia, back there...I mean, saving me...well, thanks," Percy stammers, a red flush spreading across his cheeks and making his sea green eyes look brighter and more vibrant.

"Don't mention it," I say nonchalantly. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing for me."

**Percy's Point of View**

"Hey, Thalia, back there...I mean, saving me...well, thanks," I stammer, feeling a blush rising up on my cheeks. Great. Now I look like an idiot.

"Don't mention it," she says casually, slightly wincing in pain. "I'm sure you'd do the same thing for me."

I definitely would.

**(1.) It's a swear in Greek Annabeth used in the Lightning Thief. It means, 'go to the crows.'**

**(2.) I don't think I'm that good at fight scenes...I tried to do a lot of action...**

**Hope you guys liked this one! I slaved my **_**butt**_** off writing this; first my computer doesn't save it, then it wouldn't turn on...you get the picture. Please, review! I really would love to get fifty reviews on this story! Thanks a bunch!**

**~lilmissf**


	15. Of Shortness and Drabbles

**I bring you two new drabble-esque things; the first is super short and the second is a collection of short drabbles (more like sentences). Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Zeus would probably shoot me with a lightning bolt if I say I own Percy Jackson, and since I would prefer not to be fried to a crisp, I'll tell the truth and say that no, I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Percy's Point of View**

First I was a little resentful of her, because she got all of the attention.

Then I was sad for her, because she was so out of place.

Then I full out hated her.

Then I felt bad for her, for her having to deal with all of her problems.

Then we made up, and we were best friends.

Then I pitied her, for having the Prophecy thrown at her.

Then I worried about her, wondering if she would make the wrong choice.

Then I felt horrible, because she was fighting her oldest friend.

Then she was presented another decision, and I was appalled at the choice she made.

Then I was mad at her.

Because she took the oath of the Hunters.

And left me.

**Pfft...very short, I know. In case you didn't get it, the first line is at Westover, when Percy thinks she gets all of the attention because she's Zeus' daughter. Then the second is when Percy describes her as a big raven, completely out of place in the snowy white landscape, or whatever. The third is at their battle in Capture the Flag. Fourth is when they had the conversation in the car on the train. The fifth is pretty general, when Percy remembers that, 'when she wasn't yelling at me, I actually liked Thalia.' Then the sixth is when Kronos/Luke/Bad Side is trying to convert her because of the Prophecy. Seventh is when Thalia considers their deal. Eighth is when she was fighting Luke. Ninth through twelfth was when she made the decision to become Artemis' lieutenant. Anyway, onto the next drabbles!**

**Unbelievable**

It was unbelievable. Percy was defeated, Thalia's sword tip digging into his neck slightly, while she grinned in triumph.

**Small Things Turn Into Big Things**

It started with petty name calling. It ended with blood gushing from Thalia's broken nose and the hair being singed off of Percy's eyebrows and forearms.

**Complementary**

His eyes were a deep green colour, mysterious, sometimes, and easy to read, others. They were the color of the sea.

Her eyes were a light, piercing, blue, an odd combination, but it suited her well. They were everything from bright and happy to startling, electrifying, and fear inducing. They were he color of the pure, cloudless sky above.

The colours were different. But they complimented each other perfectly.

**Escape**

While Percy was thinking about how Thalia looked like a big, black raven, completely out of place in the snowy landscape, Thalia was wishing she could just fly away.

**Dreams**

When she used to go to bed, she saw darting gray eyes an floppy blond hair. Now she saw sea green eyes and shaggy black hair.

**Attention**

Most people think she took the oath of the Hunters because she didn't want to be the one to fulfill the Great Prophecy. No, that wasn't true. She just couldn't stand the attention that came along with it.

And Percy knows exactly how she feels.

**Sea Salt**

Every time Thalia smelled sea salt, she would think of him, him and his glowing smile.

**Can't think of any more...oh, well...onto other matter, do you like it? Please review! They make me happy and me happy = update and update = you being happy! \**

**Oh, here's an interesting question for you guys to think about (I don't know the answer either): In the Lightning Thief, Percy sees Thalia in a dream, and describes her as having 'stormy green eyes,' then later in SOM, he sees her in a dream again, and describes her as having 'stormy blue eyes.' But when she's revived, she has 'electric blue eyes.' Why?**

**~lilmissf**


	16. Of Monikers and Lists

**Hey! So...I was thinking about how Thalia only has one nickname that's used in the books...and Percy has like, a million, so I wrote this. ^.^ Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I said I owned Percy Jackson, Poseidon would drown me the next time I swim. And I wouldn't really want that to happen. So, no, I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Great job, Kelp-for-brains," a Hermes camper snaps at me sourly. "You lost the game!"

"Shut up," I growl, but it's true. I had almost gotten the flag over the border when I tripped. Because my shoelace was untied. I swear to the Gods, I am never going to be able to live this down. Thalia watches me. "What do you want, Thalia?" I snap.

"Nothing, I was just thinking," she shrugs nonchalantly.

"About what?"

"Well, I mean, you've got it bad, Percy."

"Would you just spit out what you're trying to say?"

"Jeez, okay! You have about a million annoying nicknames 'cause you're the son of Poseidon."

"Well, how about you? You're the daughter of Zeus, plus you were turned into a tree!"

"Oh, please, I bet I could come up with more nicknames for you than you could come up with for me!"

"Oh, it is so on, Thalia!"

"Bring it, Percy!"

"Did I just hear a bet being placed?" Travis Stoll asks, the familiar crooked, mischievous grin spreading over his lips, holding a cupped hand to his ear like he's hard of hearing.

"Yeah. So?" I snap.

"Percy, Percy, Percy," Connor clucks sympathetically, placing a hand on my shoulder. "Don't you know by now that whenever Travis and I hear the word 'bet,' we're instantly there? Our middle names are bet. So spill. What is it?"

"I bet that I could come up with more annoying nicknames for Percy than he could for me," Thalia says quickly, and I shoot her an angry look, which she returns with a pompous smirk.

"Awesome," Travis snickers, rubbing his hands together eagerly. "Cool. Each of you has two minutes to come up with as many nicknames as you can. When time's up, you gotta tell us all of them. Winner gets twenty drachmas. Clear?"

"Clear," Thalia and I say in unison.

"Alrighty then," Connor smirks. "GO!"

**~TT~**

Gods, who knew it was so hard to come up with nicknames for Thalia? I've only got a couple. Let's just hope she's only got a couple, too.

"Time," Travis yells out, and by now a group of curious campers have wandered over. I grit my teeth before sighing. "Perce, you first."

I clear my throat. "Lightning Head, Static Face, Pinecone Face, Tree Bark, Lightning Bug, and Bolt Head." Everyone is quiet for a moment and then Thalia bursts out laughing.

"SIX? YOU ONLY GOT SIX?" she shrieks, before collapsing in laughter.

"Oh yeah?" I say, feeling my face heating up. "Like you got more."

"I know I did," Thalia says.

"Oh, really?"

"Really."

"Then tell me!"

"Fine," Thalia says with a shrug. "Seaweed Brain, Barnacle Head, Kelp Head, Kelp-for-brains, Fishface, Fishfood, Sharkbait, Seaspawn, Fishstick, Water Boy, Aquaidiot-" Travis holds up his hands.

"Okay, Thalia, you honestly won the bet, so you can stop now," he says.

"Aw! But I had, like, at least thirty more!"

"Whatever. Percy, you lost the bet. Now give the lady her money," Connor says, and grumbling, I slap the drachmas into Thalia's hand.

"Sucks for you, Sharkbait."

"Oh, shut up, Pinecone Face."

**Short and sweet. Fun! I'll update soon; I hope this placates you guys for awhile! Review please!**

**~lilmissf**


	17. Of Eyeliner and Sneaky Plotting

**Hello and all that! It keeps raining...grrr...but you know what they say: April showers bring May flowers! Hopefully that will be true...Here is a new chappie for everyone! YAY! Oh, and here's something for you guys to think on. So, I have a lot of people wanting Thalia and Percy to get together. And the other people don't want Thalia and Percy to get together. Some people think this story is just cute and they love it just the way it is. I think I'm probably in the third category, because honestly, people, I just love Percy and Thalia's relationship, no matter if it's love or not. So, you could think this as a Perlia fic, or a Percy/Thalia friendshipper, or you could think of it as a way to stall so you don't have to do your homework. While I might add a little romance (i.e. harmless flirting, waving, hand-holding, walks in the woods, winking, etc.) I won't make this a fullblown Pelia fic, because I'll probably write another story with lots of Perlia romance. Sorry if I'm disappointing you guys, but I'm really conflicted, because while I really love Perlia, I also like Percabeth, and lots of reviewers are saying, 'when are they going to get together?' and others are saying, 'this is a good story, just don't make it Perlia!' So, i think it's going to stay a friendshipper with a hint of romance, and I'll write another Perlia story to placate everyone! How does that sound? Okay, enough with the angsty teenage-girl feelings, onto the story already! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I say I own Percy Jackson, Hermes will make my Internet connection slow, and no one wants that. So, no, I do not own Percy Jackson.**

**Percy's Point of View**

I have suddenly realized something: sitting in the middle of really itchy bushes at the crack of dawn with the Stoll brothers and Silena Beauregard is _not_ enjoyable, especially when Silena is complaining at the top of her lungs about how she's getting her gladiator wedges dirty. For someone who gossips all the time, she sure doesn't know how to whisper.

"Are you sure this is a good idea?" I ask Travis, shifting my weight from foot to foot, which isn't really easy when you're squatting.

"Of course!" Travis exclaims. "You don't want to have had the Aphrodite cabin do all that work for nothing, do you?"

"I was surprised Thalia didn't wake up when they were...erm...working," Connor chimes in. "My, that girl is a heavy sleeper!"

"Besides," Silena says, "we did a _fabulous_ job, if I do say so myself! She'll totally love it!"

I shake my head as Silena babbles on. She still doesn't get that the reason why we gave Thalia a 'makeover' was to prank her. But this ditzy girl has got it stuck in her head that we're actually 'helping' Thalia find her 'inner beauty' by working 'from the outside in!' Honestly, I worry about her sometimes.

"...are you guys even listening? Oh, well, it doesn't matter; Thalia's going to love her new makeover!"

"Shhh! Silena, keep it down! Thalia's going to-"

"!" Thalia's screech resonates across the whole camp, setting birds flying away in a panic.

"Oh, gods, she is _pissed_," Connor says, smirking.

"OH MY GODS! WHAT THE HADES AM I WEARING? AHHHHHHHH!" She comes stomping out of her cabin, and Travis, Connor, Silena and I burst into raucous laughter.

The Aphrodite Cabin cast a spell that elongates Thalia's hair to her ribcage, then they straightened it, and pulled it up into a painfully high ponytail. Her mouth is slathered with deep scarlet lipstick, and her face is caked with pale foundation and a delicate coral blush. Thalia's eyelashes are slick with black mascara, and a light layer of blue eyeliner surrounds the edges of her piercing blue eyes. Light pink nailpolish coats her fingernails.

But, unfortunately for Thalia, the make-up is only the half of it. She's wearing a pink dress with a corset-type top and a flouncy, frilly skirt. Gold shimmers on her neck, wrists, fingers, and even ankles. And she's pulling off hot magenta six-inch high heels that look more like death traps then an article of clothing.

"Oh, gods," Travis says in a kind of horrified way. "How in Zeus' name did she manage to sleep through this?"

Silena shrugged. "We slipped a sleeping drought into her drink at dinner last night." Connor and Travis look at her in approval.

"Wow, you Aphrodite girls are more badass than I thought," Connor praises.

"Oh my gods, she's coming over here," Silena squeaks, and sure enough, Thalia is stomping over, eyes murderous, lips turned down into a ugly snarl, fists clenched and arcs of electricity rippling up and down her body. But the ensemble she's wearing make her look like a joke. In fact, she looks kind of like a Barbie doll.

"PERSEUS JACKSON!" she screams, shattering my eardrums. "WHAT IN THE NAME OF HADES AM I WEARING?"

"Chill, Thalia," Connor smirks. "It's a good look for you."

"Very sexy," Travis adds.

"I think you should keep it."

"SHUT UP!" she yells at them, effectively silencing them, before turning her gaze to me. "You. YOU!"

"Me?" I squeak, right before she screams again and a volt of electricity streaks down from the sky and hits me.

Okay, I stand corrected. She looks like a Barbie doll that could shock me into oblivion.

"WHOSE IDEA WAS THIS?" she asks, none too calmly.

"Erm...well, Silena said you needed a makeover, and then Travis and Connor and I wanted to turn it into a prank, so, all of is?" I say with a nervous grin.

"Urgh! You are _so _going to-" she stops, tapping her wrist repeatedly, but nothing happens. She frowns, sifts through the glimmering bracelets on her wrist, and then her face darkens. "WHERE THE HADES IS AEGIS?"

"Well, uhh...you see, Thalia, gold and silver don't really work together, not unless their in an outfit together, and then it works, but-" Silena explains.

"GET TO THE POINT!" Thalia snaps, making everyone within a ten foot radius cringe and back away a couple of steps.

"So, I took it for the sake of style and safe-keeping, and it's right here!" Silena finishes, holding out her thin wrist. "See? Don't you think it matches my outfit better then yours?" She twirls around, giving us a view of her turquoise halter neck, white shorts on the borderline of being decent, and calf-tall silver gladiator sandals. Aegis glitters on her wrist in the rising sun. Thalia strides over, snatches Aegis from Silena, and then faces me, with her hands on her hips. Then she does something so unexpected I almost have a heart attack.

She smiles, and says, "You know what guys? Thanks. I really did need a new makeover." With that, she whips around and walks back to her cabin, the skirt swishing around her thighs.

"Wow, Thalia, nice look!" someone calls out, and their are quite a few wolf-whistles. I can hear her grit her teeth from here.

"Well...that was a completely unexpected development," Travis says, blinking.

"Yep..." Connor agrees. "Now, lets go put chocolate bunnies on the Demeter cabin's roof." They trot off, brown curls whipping in the wind.

"Thalia took that really well! I'm sooo happy! Maybe we could get mani-pedis together! I mean, that would be..." Silena says excitedly, while I think about how Thalia doesn't look half-bad in makeup. Not bad at all.

**Thalia's Point of View**

It may not be today, it may not be tomorrow, but I swear on the gods, I will get Percy Jackson back for this. I swear it.

**CLIFFIE! Kinda...sorta...maybe...anyway, this is going to turn into a two-shot, and the second part will be posted soon. Review, please! **

**~lilmissf**


	18. Of Revenge and Harry Freaking Potter

**Here's the second installment of Eyeliner and Sneaky Plotting! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I say I own Percy Jackson, Demeter will make my cereal taste bad. That will probably start another Trojan War, considering I like my cereal. So, I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

"I can't wait to see his face," I say to Silena, a devilish grin working its way across my lips while a tug at my still long hair. Yeah, the spell she and her siblings cast doesn't wear off for another two weeks!

_Flashback_

_ "Oh, my gods Silena, how do I get my hair the way it was before?" I screech._

_ "Erm...well, that's the thing. We kind of cast a spell...and it doesn't wear off for another two weeks..."_

_ "WHAT?"_

_End of Flashback_

"Me neither. And stop tugging at your hair! You're going to mess it up, and it looks absolutely stunning right now!" Silena scolds.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Anyway, Silena, thanks again for helping me with this whole revenge thing," I say.

"It was the least I could do. Hey, are the Stoll brothers in their places?"

"Yep. Everything is good to go."

"This is going to be epic."

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Percy's anguished scream rings through camp. "OH MY GODS!"

Silena and I burst out laughing and fall towards each-other, sinking to the ground in a heap.

"Oh my gods, here he comes!" Silena giggles, as the Poseidon Cabin's door is wrenched open. Percy stomps out, and Silena and I burst into giggles again.

A bright red lightning bolt scar is painted on his forehead, and round-framed glasses are superglued to his face. He's wearing flowing black wizard robes, and a wand is superglued to his left hand.

"Oh my gods!" Travis says in mock surprise, coming up to Percy. "It's Harry freaking Potter!"

**It's a joke from A Very Potter Musical on Youtube. YOU HAVE TO SEE IT IT'S HILARIOUS! Anyway, do review, as reviews make me update faster. :) Also tell me if you want me to continue this little saga of Percy and Thalia pranks. Oh! I forgot to tell you! I'm having another little contest. :D The 100th reviewer gets to pick out any scene from the books, make up a plot, or make up a prank for me to write about! Or, the could gueststar as an OC in the chapter I write after they review! So...REVIEW! **

**~lilmissf**


	19. Of Aphrodite and Intervention

**So, I am continuing the pranking 'craze,' but this time...the joke is on Thalia AND Percy! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I said I owned Percy Jackson, Apollo would curse me and make me speak in limericks for about three weeks, and I DO NOT WANT THAT! NOT AT ALL! And because of that, I will say this: No, I do not own Percy Jackson. Just shut up and read the story already!**

**Percy's Point of View**

Did you know that your whole day can go downhill because of a goddess?

I was sitting on a bench with Thalia, when Aphrodite started poking around in my head.

_Well? Are you going to make a move or what?_ the sultry voice said.

_Erm...who in Hades are you?_

_ Language, Percy. It's Aphrodite._

_ Oh, sorry ma'am. Didn't mean offense._

_ It's quite alright, Percy, it's quite alright. But onto other matters, are you going to make a move or not?_

_ Excuse me, make a move?_

_ *Sigh* Look, Percy. I know it, all of the gods know it, Thalia knows it, you know it, everyone in the whole camp knows it! So just tell Thalia you like her already!_

_ What?_

_ I'm trying to make things easier than you! In fact, you should be thanking me._

_ But I don't! I don't like her! I mean, not like that, but as a friend I do...I mean...you know what I mean!_

_ Oh, Percy, Percy, Percy...you should know by now that if you don't make a move, then I will _force_ you. That, or I will put my daughters and sons up to it._

_ What? No! But, wait-_

_ Sorry Percy, I must go. Zeus is calling a meeting, and I must be there. Goodbye! For now..._

Oh, gods.

**Thalia's Point of View**

I was sitting on a bench with Percy by my side when Aphrodite decided to start messing around with me.

_Thalia?_

_ Who are you and what the Hades are you doing in my head?_

_ *Sigh* Can't I just ever get a hello? Gods, you and Percy are so much alike._

_ Yeah. I've heard._

_ That's a good reason why you should go out._

_ I mean, everyone thinks we're like twins-wait, what? GO OUT? AS IN DATE?_

_ Yes, Thalia, as in date._

_ ARE YOU CRAZY?_

_ Do not insult me._

_ Right, right, sorry. I was being hot headed. I apologize for my actions. _It might sound like I'm kissing up to Aphrodite, but gods get offended easily. And if they do...well, I really don't want to go there. _But...Percy and I? I don't really think that would work out..._

_ Urgh. You are both so blunt. _

_ Wait, both? Have you talked to Percy about this?_

_ Maybe...anyway, Thalia, if neither of you will make a move and tell each other how you feel, then I must intervene._

_ Intervene? Wait-_

_ Or my kids will. Either way, Thalia, you and Percy will be together; I will make sure of it. But now, I must go. Zeus is holding a meeting. Goodbye...for now..._

_ Wait!_ But it was too late. She was already gone. Stupid love goddess.

_I heard that!_

**Percy's Point of View**

I spend the day training in the arena with Thalia. Man, she is an amazing sword-fighter. Probably even up to par with me. And...Luke. But she's really much better at using her spear.

Right now, blades are flashing, hilts are whirling, sweat is pouring down both of our faces. It's an intense battle of the Daughter of Zeus and the Son of Poseidon. The maniacal ferocity is so tangible you can almost see it. That is, it is until Thalia and I both find a weakness in each other and both of our sword-tips end up at each-other's throats. Both of us breathe hard, the adrenaline rush wearing off. Thalia grins and sheathes her sword.

"Nice job, Perce," she says, taking out a water bottle bringing her lips to the rim.

"You too, Thalia," I reply, wiping sweat off of my forehead.

A girl comes galloping up to us, her wavy, dark brown hair streaming out in the gentle breeze. "Percy! Thalia!" she calls, her dark eyes sick with worry and her ivory skin pale. "Come quick! Silena's gone senile! She keeps babbling crazy things...you guys need to get Mr. D!"

"Wait, how did this happen? And what's your name?" Thalia demands, coming up to her.

"I have no idea! And I'm Laila, daughter of Aphrodite."

"Of course you are," I mutter, and the three of us break out into a run. "So, where's Mr. D? How about Chiron? Does he know about this?"

"Yes, Chiron's with Silena and the rest of our cabin right now. He said Mr. D's down in the basement of the Big House. I have to go back to my siblings. Please hurry!" With that, Laila races off, towards the direction of the Aphrodite Cabin. Thalia and I pause and look at each other.

"We should go get Mr. D," Thalia says, and heads off towards the Big House.

"Thalia, wait," I say, gabbing her arm, which she immediately wrenches out of my grasp. "What if it's a trap?" 

"I don't think it is, and if it is a trap, that's a risk we'll have to take," Thalia says grimly. She keeps running and disappears inside the Big House. After a moment's consideration, I follow her.

We walk past the furniture in the house, making sure not to knock anything over, which proves to be hard, since Thalia and I are both pretty klutzy.

The cellar door is right in front of Thalia and I, and she opens it. "Mr. D?" she calls out, stepping down the stairs. "Mr. D? Are you there? We need you!"

I start down the stairs too. "Mr. D?" I promptly trip and curse. "Di immortals! Where are the lights?"

"Right here," a familiar voice says from a few feet above me, and the lights flicker on. Silena, looking completely sane, stands at the top with a battalion of her siblings.

"Oh no," Thalia gasps, her eyes dilating.

"NO!" I shout, and I run up the stairs, but I'm too late.

"Have fun!" Silena says, and she and her siblings wave, their eyes sparkling as the door slams shut and the lock clicks.

"Oh gods," Thalia moans. "We are so screwed."

**And...cliffie! I'll get the second half out tomorrow! REVIEW!**

**~lilmissf**


	20. Of Sparkly Pink Hearts and Desperation

**Here's the next chappie! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: If I said I owned Percy Jackson and the Olympians, Aphrodite would make sure that none of my relationships would work out, and I seriously don't want that. **

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Oh, gods," I moan. "We are so screwed."

"HEY! SILENA! LET US OUT RIGHT NOW!" Percy screams, while pounding on the door. "SILENA! I'M WARNING Y-"

"So this is what Aphrodite meant," I muse, more to myself then Percy, but it stops him cold.

"Wait...did you say Aphrodite?"

"Erm...yeah," I say, blushing lightly. "She was in my head earlier..."

"Uhhmm...mine too," Percy admits, and turns an unsightly shade of red.

"...let's try to find a way out..." I suggest.

"...right..." Percy says, after an awkward pause. We both bolt down the stairs, weapons out. And when we reach the bottom, both of us stop dead.

"What the-?" I say, unable to continue the sentence. Because the room has exploded in pink. Pink everywhere. My worst nightmare. "Oh. My. Gods." There are little red hearts all over the walls, with the words, 'Percy and Thalia forever!' written in curly script. On the floor is a picnic, complete with heart-shaped sandwiches, drinks with heart-shaped ice cubes, heart-shaped cookies. Everything is so frickin pink and sparkly and covered hearts; I want to barf. Percy just looks at the whole scene with wide eyes.

"We. Have. To. Get. Out. Of. Here. NOW!" Percy shouts, gripping his head.

**Percy's Point of View**

Oh, gods. This is unbelievable. In a very bad way. Locked in a room with Thalia. A room which happens to be decorated in pink and hearts that declare our love for each other. Not. Good.

"Okay, are there any windows?" Thalia asks, ripping the hearts down viciously, trying to see if the Aphrodite kids have covered one.

"Thals, in case you haven't noticed, we're like, four feet underground. We're in the _basement_," I say, slashing through the hearts with the Riptide, making them look like broken hearts, my name on one side and Thalia's on the other.

"Do you think I don't know that, Percy? That I'm some kind of idiot?" she snarls, slamming my spear against the wall.

"Look, Thalia, I just want to get out of here, so I would appreciate if you would just _shut up_," I snap.

"Don't tell me to shut up, Seaweed Brain!"

"I'll do whatever I want to, Pinecone Face!"

"Oi! You guys! Don't get in a fight! FIGHTS ARE NOT ALLOWED! Romance is, though," a shrill voice rings across the room. Thalia and I both instantly stop, gazes aimed at the ceiling, which is where the voice came from.

"Who the Hades are you?" Thalia shrieks.

"It's Silena. We have the room bugged, so we can hear every detail of your conversation! This is going to be beyond cute!"

"Silena," Thalia yells. "Percy and I are not going to kiss or make-out or hug or have a conversation admitting our feelings. Why? _Because we don't have any feelings for each other_!"

"Thalia's right, Silena, we absolutely have no feelings for one another whatsoever. So let us out!" I demand.

"Uhhmm...guys? Remember, our mom put us up to this. And if she thinks you guys are going to be a couple, then you're going to be a couple. So stop denying it and get to confessing your love already! We have archery in like, fifteen minutes!" Silena whines.

"There is going to be no lovey-dovey conversation, so I suggest you head on over to archery," Thalia snaps.

"Yeah, I guess I'll do that, since I have a recorder recording every word you two say," Silena says; I can almost hear her smirk.

"Okay, then. Let us out," Thalia says happily.

"Uh-uh. Not happening. Sorry to disappoint, Thalia," Silena chirps.

"But wait! Don't you dare leave! Let us out, Silena! I'm warning you!" Thalia shouts.

"Bye-bye! See you two after archery!" Silena says, and I hear a faint click.

"SILENA!" I yell. "SILENA!"

"She's gone. It's no use," Thalia says sourly.

**Thalia's Point of View**

**Hour One~Eleven O'Clock **

"Percy," I sigh. "For the hundredth, thousandth time, stop banging on the wall! It's giving me a Hades of a migraine."

"Oh, I'm sorry Thalia. I'll stop. I mean, it's not like were stuck in a room full of hearts and glitter and crap and I'm trying to GET OUT!"

"Ha ha. Very funny, Kelp Head."

**Hour One~Eleven Thirty**

"Looks like someone decided to join me," Percy smirks, as I bang my fists on the door.

"Oh, shut up."

**Hour Two~Twelve O'Clock**

"Let. Me. Out. Of. Here," I say, banging my head on the wall.

"Your going to give yourself brain damage, Thalia," Percy reprimands. "Actually, you didn't have a brain to begin with, so it's not like it's going to do anything."

"I think you're talking about yourself, Aquaidiot."

"...curse the Stoll Brothers for having you think up nicknames..."

**Hour Two~Twelve Thirty**

"Hey you two love birds! I'm baaaaaack!" Silena's annoyingly high-pitched voice rings out across the room.

"Didn't even notice you were gone," I snarl.

"Because you two have been making out?" Silena asks hopefully.

"If by making out you mean banging against the wall trying to escape, then yes, we have been 'making out,'" I say sarcastically.

"Grrr..." Silena mutters. "You two infuriate me! You just won't admit your feelings, will you?"

"Hey, where are Mr. D and Chiron? Why haven't they rescued us?" Percy says, out of the blue.

"Oh, they're on a wild goose chase trying to find Laila," Silena says idly.

"You mean, the sister that told us earlier to fetch Mr. D?" I snap.

"The very one!" Silena chirps. "Oops, gotta go! Lunch is going to be served soon!"

"What about us?" I ask desperately.

"You have a picnic," Silena reminds us. "Now, I really gotta go! Bye!" A click.

"Don't eat it," I say to Percy, who looks like he's going to take a sandwich. "It's probably spiked with love potion or something."

**Hour Three~One O'Clock**

"So. Tell me about yourself," Percy prompts.

"What in Hades do you mean?"

"Well, we've got nothing else to do."

"Fine."

"What's your favorite band?"

"Green day, Seaweed Brain. Duh."

"Oh. Right. I knew that...I think..."

"Gods, you can be such an idiot."

"And...what's your last name? I can't believe I don't know it yet."

"You know what Percy? Let's just not talk, okay?"

"What? Did I say something?"

"No, it's just...I'm not in the mood to talk."

"But-"

"Percy, just shut up!"

**Hour Three~One Thirty**

"Gods, we have to get out of this Hadeshole!" I snap.

"No, really? I had no idea."

"Do you get sarcastic when you're trapped in a pink room or something?"

"Yes. Yes, I do."

"Okay, whatever. The point is, we need to get out. Like, soon, or I'm going to go senile from being cooped up with you."

"Oh, that's _so_ nice, Thalia. But, in case you haven't noticed, there's no way out except for the door, and it's locked."

"I _know_, Seaweed Brain. But I have a plan."

**MWAHAHAHA! I AM CRUEL! Don't worry, I'll update soon, I promise. Please review though! Remember, the hundredth reviewer gets to pick a scene from the book, or make up a new plot, or gueststars in the next chapter. REVIEW PLEASE!  
**

**~lilmissf**


	21. Of Planning and Escaping

**Ahhh...this is the last installment of Aphrodite Intervenes! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: If I said I owned Percy Jackson, Hera will curse my marriage when I'm older so...I don't own Percy Jackson.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"I'm surprised. Your plan is actually...good," I say.

"Of course." Thalia looks offended. "All of my plans are."

"You just keep on believing that, Thals," I smirk.

"I don't see you making up any plans!"

"You're right. Sorry."

"What plans?" Silena interrupts us, her voice ringing across the room.

"Erm...plans to see...a movie...after we get out..." Thalia lies, cringing and wincing.

"OH MY GODS! HOW ADORABLE!" Silena squeals. "What movie? Definitely a romance film...chick flick maybe? Tragicomedy? Oooh! How about-"

"Hey, Silena," Thalia ventures cautiously.

"Yes?"

"D'you mind getting something for me from my cabin? It's a small black bag."

"Well...what does it have in it?"

"...lip gloss..."

"Oh, I see where your going! Okay, I'll go get it. Sit tight!" Silena says. A click resonates.

I eye Thalia. "Do you seriously have lip gloss in that bag?"

"NO! Gods, your such an idiot! It has an iPod, gum, and a small notebook and pen in it!" Thalia snaps. "Do you actually think I would wear lip gloss?"

"You did a couple of days ago, when-"

"Don't remind me, _Harry freaking Potter_!"

"...you infuriate me..."

**~TT~**

"I'm baaaaack!"

"Oh, joy," Thalia mutters.

"Thalia! Be nice! Remember who has your black bag!"

"Right, right. Are you going to bring that down or what?"

"Yeah, of course! Be right down," Silena chirps, then clicks off the mike.

"Bless those Aphrodite kids for being so ignorant," I mutter.

**~TT~**

"Remember, Percy, the door hits the left wall when opened, so you'll be against the _left_ wall, not the right," Thalia reminds me.

"Yeah, yeah. Thanks a lot, mom," I smirk, positioning myself against the wall, the Riptide clutched in my hand.

"Hey! You'll be down on your knees thanking me when we get out of this Hadeshole," Thalia snaps. "My plan is brilliant, so don't you dare diss it."

"You're right, it is brilliant," I agree. "Let's do this."

"Thalia!" Silena's voice is slightly muffled, but audible. "I have your bag."

"Okay, give it here!" Thalia says nonchalantly.

"'kay!" Silena says, and opens the door. Bright light streams in, making Thalia blink and wince, then she grabs the bag, and a little of Silena's wrist.

"Oh, thanks a bunch, Silena, you're a lifesaver," Thalia says, giving me the signal. I leap forward, swinging the Riptide furiously. Silena screams.

"Back. OFF!" I shout, and she nervously backs away, holding her hands up in surrender. I hold the sword to her throat and she squeaks in fear. "Silena, let this be a lesson to you: never, EVER lock Thalia and I in a basement full of glittery pink hearts AGAIN!"

"Okay, Percy, she's had enough. Let's blow this popsicle stand!" Thalia says, and both of us run out of the house, swinging our weapons furiously. We don't stop until we run into someone. And that someone happens to be...Annabeth.

"PERCY! THALIA! Where in the Hades were you? I've been looking for you two all day!" Annabeth snarls, her gray eyes full of fury. Thalia and I exchange glances.

"Erm...Thalia and I were locked in the basement by the Aphrodite kids to get us...together," I explain.

"Uh-uh. I _totally_ believe that."

**AND...DONE! YAY! So...the winner of the contest was...! So, please specify in your next review either what scene I should do from the book, lay out a plot for me to work with, or tell me if you want to gueststar. If you want to gueststar, please specify your godly parent, hair color, eye color, and gender. Thanks! EVERYONE REVIEW, PLEASE!**

**~lilmissf**


	22. Of Campfire Spats and Woodsy Walks

**First off, I'd like to thank my awesome reviewers. I can't believe I finally hit 100! I'm almost to 120 now! Yay! Which brings me to another announcement: 150 reviewer gets to gueststar! So start clicking that blue button down there! So, onto other matters, I have two gueststars today: and XX TEARS DON'T FALLXX. The plot was inspired by both of them. And GleekPJOFreak, I'm sorry, but I couldn't fit you into this chapter, so you're going to be in the next chapter! It's a good one, I promise! Anyway, without further ado, the new chapter! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: If I say I own Percy Jackson, Dionysus will make me go senile, and I don't want that, not at all. I don't own PJO.**

**Percy's Point of View**

Thalia and I made plans to got for a short stroll right before the campfire started. Mostly because...well we miss each other. We haven't seen each other lately at all; our activities don't match up, we can't sit with each other at meals ever since that catastrophe at breakfast, and at Capture the Flag, she's always on the opposite team. It's not fair, no, not at all.

I meet her after dinner, and we stand awkwardly in the dining pavilion before Thalia says, "Erm...the walk, Percy, remember?"

"Oh, right," I say, snapping out of my stupor. "Shall we go then, milady?" I ask, in a fake accent, stretching out my elbow for Thalia to take.

"We shall," she replies with a smirk before locking her elbow with mine, and we head off into the woods.

The forest is mostly quiet, with the occasional trill of birds, the quiet rustle of the leaves in the wind, and the sound of water trickling in a small brook to the left of us. Entirely peaceful, and more then relaxing, although it is a little chilly. In fact, Thalia's shivering right now. She's wearing ripped skinny jeans with a Green Day shirt. I offer her my jacket silently, and she takes in gratefully, tugging it on. A sudden snap of a twig startles both of us, and we freeze. Thalia only has my jacket half on, her eyes wide, mouth parted slightly in a frozen look of surprise.

"It's...nothing," I offer, and Thalia nods, but I notice her muscles don't tense, and her long, pale fingers are hovering over Aegis like a spider stalking its prey. "Thalia, relax. It was probably a squirrel or something."

"Yeah, I s'pose your right," she mutters, relaxing her muscles. "I should just be enjoying myself with my favorite cousin."

"Favorite cousin?" I ask stupidly.

"It's you, you idiot! You're my cousin!" Thalia snaps softly.

"Right. I knew that," I say, a small flush spreading over my cheeks.

"Sure you did," Thalia says with a smirk.

"I did!" I insist.

"Then how come you asked?"

"I knew, I was just...starting a conversation, Pinecone face!"

"You didn't know we were cousins," Thalia says in a singsong voice.

"Yes, I did!"

"No, you didn't!"

"Did!"

"Didn't!"

"DID!"

"DIDN'T!"

_*SNAP!*_

"...what was that?" Thalia asks nervously.

"...just a squirrel..." I mutter, more to myself than Thalia. "Maybe it's being territorial."

"Squirrels aren't territorial, Seaweed Brain," Thalia says dismissively.

"Yes they are! I remember in New York, once-" _*SNAP!*_ Thalia's eyes flit over to meet mine; they're wide and slightly frightened.

"Okay, now, we run," I declare, and we take deeper into the woods.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"What" pant "if it was actually" pant "just a squirrel?" Percy asks, while sprinting alongside of me.

"Then we are idiots, but since there's no one around to witness it, it doesn't matter. It wouldn't matter if there were people around, anyway, because you're already an idiot," I huff.

"Hey!" Percy protests.

"'Hey' is for horses," I retort, then hold up my hand. "And don't give me any lame jokes about how your dad created horses." Percy blinks a couple of times.

"How'd you know that's what I was going to do?"

"Remember, Percy, we're basically like twins. I know your every move," I say smugly.

"Whatever," Percy responds, and rolls his eyes. "Okay, onto other more pressing matters, what the Hades was that back there?"

_*SNAP!* *CRACK!* *SNAP!*_ A shrill, evil sounding cackle resonates in the air.

"Only Zeus knows, but I think it's following us," I answer, picking up the pace. Percy transitions smoothly into the new speed and pulls out Riptide from his pocket, but keeps it in pen form. It's a bit difficult to run with a bronze sword in your hands.

"Okay, let's stop," I say, gasping for air as we stop at a small pond, leaning over and putting my hands on my knees.

"I agree," says Percy. "You're as red as a tomato."

"Shut up, Barnacle Face," I snap in between gasps.

_*SNAP!* *CRACK!* _Another freaky laugh.

"You know what? This is not funny anymore! You are now messing with the Son of the Sea god and the Daughter of Zeus! So get out here and show yourself before we kick your sorry as-" Percy's rant is interrupted by a girl, about our age, stepping out of a small copse of trees. Her hair is a midnight color, falling down in one long straight sheath to her ribcage, with a couple of streaks of neon green peppered into the mix. Her brown eyes narrow as she walks up to us, making her look like a witch. In one palm is a glowing ball of purple energy.

"Okay...one, who in Hades are you, two, what the Hades are you doing stalking us, and three, what the Hades is that thing in your hand?" I demand furiously.

"Neryssa, daughter of Hecate, following Silena's orders, and it's a tracking spell. Although, I don't really need it, since you two make about as much noise as a hellhound," Neryssa answers, extinguishing the crackling purple ball, then letting out a shrill, harsh cackle that makes the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

"Silena," Percy snarls through grit teeth. "I should have known it."

"Yeah, you should have," Neryssa replies nonchalantly. "Gods, she is _obsessed_ with you two. It's not even funny anymore."

"It was never funny in the first place," I snap, rolling my eyes. "Of course, Percy and I can't even take a _godsdamn walk_ without people interfering and rumors flying."

"Yeah, I pity you two," Neryssa says, placing a sympathetic hand on my shoulder. "Anyway, gotta go, the campfire starts in around a minute." She waves a little goodbye, and takes off into the trees, sprinting towards camp.

"Oh, Hades," Percy curses. "The campfire! We better get over there!"

"Stupid Silena...Stupid Neryssa...Stupid Aphrodite..." I mutter viciously as we run towards camp.

**Annabeth's Point of View**

I sigh testily and cross my arms while the Apollo cabin leads the camp in another round of "This Land is Minos' Land." The fire is a flaming red, sparks streaking up thirty feet into the air, the color of the flames merging flawlessly together. But it does nothing to improve my mood.

I'm unhappy because...because...Percy and Thalia are late to campfire. They're probably together. They're always together now. I feel like I'm a third wheel. I feel so stupid when I'm around them and they're laughing about something they did together. I feel...jealous.

I guess I have a reason to be. I mean, Percy is the boy of every girl's dreams. The it boy. And Thalia...well, there's something about her attitude that entraps everyone. Not to mention her looks, too, I mean, she has to be one of the prettiest girls in camp, no joke. And everyone thinks there going to get together! I can't stand it! They _will not_ be a couple. I'll make sure of it.

"Hey, Wise Girl," Thalia greets me, as she and Percy come towards the campers.

I leap to my feet, steaming mad. "_Where were both of you_?"

Thalia and Percy exchange startled glances. "On a walk," Percy answers.

"Last time I checked, walks didn't take an hour and a half," I snarl. The whole camp is watching us, their eyes flitting from me to Percy and Thalia and back, like they're watching a tennis game.

"Silena told some Hecate camper to stalks us, and we spent most of the time running from her," Percy snaps, shooting a hate-filled look towards Silena.

"Look, Annabeth," Thalia says testily. "I don't know what the Hades your problem is lately. You've been acting like a real jerk. Percy and I were just spending some time together, because we haven't gotten to do that lately. Why? Because _you_ keep interrupting us!"

I let out a gasp. "No I don't!"

"Uh, yes, you do," Percy chimes in. "If I didn't know you better, Annabeth, I'd think you were purposely trying to keep us apart."

"That's-" I start to say, but someone interrupts me.

"Uhm, Annabeth? I think you're just jealous because Thalia and Percy are spending time as a couple," a high-pitched voice says. I turn to see a girl with black hair that falls in a cascade of ringlets to her shoulders, sparkling green eyes, high cheekbones, and plump full lips. An Aphrodite child. "Oh, I'm Kylie, by the way! Nice to meet you!"

"JEALOUS?" I roar.

"A COUPLE?" Thalia and Percy spit with rage. Kylie shrugs innocently.

"Gods, I'm just stating the obvious," she says, rolling her eyes. "I mean, everyone knows you have a crush on Percy and your totally pissed about Percy and Thalia being together-"

"I don't have a crush on Percy!" I say, a flush spreading across my cheeks as I angrily clench my fists.

"AND FOR THE LAST TIME, PERCY AND I ARE NOT TOGETHER!" Thalia yells.

"Uh, yes, you are," Kylie insists.

"No, we're not," Percy snaps.

"Yes! YOU ARE! My mom said you were, and when she says two people are going to get together, NEWS FLASH! THEY ARE GOING TO GET TOGETHER!" Kylie answers, her voice still annoyingly high-pitched.

"Kylie, would you shut up already!" I scream at her. "You're voice is so annoying! It's like a Barbie got a mosquito stuck up her nose!"

"WHAT?" asks Kylie, horrified, as she holds a hand to her nose and mouth, then promptly bursts into tears.

"ANNABETH!" Thalia screeches indignantly.

"Oh, stuff it, lover girl!" I snap, and Thalia looks like I've just slapped her. "Go make-out with Percy or something!" With a last scream of fury, I turn, grinding my heel into the ground, and run back to my cabin.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Oh. My. GODS!" Silena shouts excitedly. "THIS IS THE BEST LOVE TRIANGLE EVER! I haven't seen anything like this before! It's awesome! Probably even better then Helen and Paris!" Percy and I both facepalm.

"Why me?" Percy moans.

**Annabeth too OOC. Weird chapter I know. Don't love the ending, but I think I did a pretty good job! GleekPJOFreak, you'll be gueststaring next chapter. And readers, remember! 150th reviewer gets to gueststar in another chapter! PLEASE REVIEW!  
**

**~lilmissf**


	23. Of Portmanteaus and Irritation

**This chapter doesn't have Percy in it, just Thalia! But GleekPJOFreak will be making an appearance, as well as the Stoll Brothers and Silena! YAY! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own Percy Jackson. End of story.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

"I'll see you later, Thalia, I have to go talk to Percy," Annabeth calls out, walking away.

"Of course you are," I mutter under my breath, so that she can't hear. As soon as her curly blond ringlets are out of sight, I keep walking, twirling Aegis around my wrist. When I spot the Stoll Brothers and another of their siblings sitting on a bench and writing something down, I head over to them. Because Hermes children can never just sit and write. They have to be pranking I get closer, I can hear them talking about something.

"What about Tharcy?" Connor asks.

"I think that Percia is better," Travis responds.

"No way, Thercia is definitely the best," their sibling replies.

"Uhh...what are you guys talking about?" I ask, heading over to both of them.

"Nothing," Connor replies, hastily shoving the notebook under his butt. "So, Thalia, have you met our brother? His name is Jason."

"Nice to meet you, Thalia," says Jason, flicking a strand of shaggy, dirty blond hair out of his bright green eyes as he smirks and stretches out his hand.

"A joy buzzer? That's stooping low," I say, as I zap the small metal device on Jason's hand with a spurt of electricity.

"Okay, okay, you got me," Jason says, holding up his hands in surrender.

"What are you doing?" I demand.

"Thalia! Nothing! Can't we ever just write in peace?" Travis asks sounding sarcastically insulted.

"Uhm, you never have before," I point out.

"Thalia, just shoo. We're doing something for Silena," Jason says, rolling his eyes, a mischievous smile spreading across his lips.

"I'm sure," I say, and pretend to leave, but really hide behind a bush a few feet away.

"Okay, guys, focus," Connor commands the others. "We have to find the best name squash for Thalia and Percy or Silena's gonna kill us!" I almost choke. WHAT? A NAME SQUASH? They're acting like we're a couple!

"Erm...Thalcy?" Jason suggests.

"No, no, Thacy sounds _much_ better," Travis says, shaking his head.

"How about Palia?" Connor asks.

"Gods, no," Jason blanches.

"GUYS! Why the HADES are you making up NAME SQUASHES for Percy and I?" I yell, coming back into the open.

"Umm...'cause Silena told us too? And you don't mess with Silena when she's obsessed with two people getting together?" Jason answers sheepishly.

"Hey guys!" Silena chirps, walking up to us, her hair fanning out in the small breeze.

"SILENA!" I yell. "WHAT THE HAD-"

"I've got it!" exclaims Jason. "Thercy! That's a good one, right?"

"Oh, didn't I tell you?" asks Silena. "The official name squash for Percy and Thalia is Perlia."

**Short and sweet. Hope you guys liked it! PLEASE REVIEW! And remember, the contest is still on!**

**~lilmissf**


	24. Of Fireworks and Surprise Invitations

**Wow! I got my 150th reviewer! I'm so psyched! Thank you guys so much! So, the 150th reviewer was In The Closet FanFic Reader. In The Closet FanFic Reader, you get to gueststar! YAY! Please specify your godly parent, your eye color, your hair color, your name (duh) and anything else you'd like me to know! Congrats! Onto the next chapter! ENJOY!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not Rick Riordan. I'm a girl, for one. And I haven't published any books, for another. Jeez. I don't own Green Day or their song When I Come Around, either.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Well? Percy, don't you have something to ask me?" says a girl flirtatiously. She's Asian, with warm brown eyes, dark hair carefully curled into ringlets that are tossed over one shoulder, and lush lips painted an intense shade of pink. Her neck, fingers, and wrists are cluttered with jewelry, and she makes the Camp Half-Blood T-shirt look like an outfit that should be on a runway. **(A/N: I got all of this from the Lost Hero; yes, Drew is Asian. So am I...well, half-Asian...ASIANS UNITE! Sorry...randomness...)**

"Uhh...ask you what?" I ask stupidly, and the girl rolls her heavily mascaraed eyes.

"Duh! Aren't you going to ask me to the fireworks?" the girl says impatiently. "I mean, it's such a big honor to accompany _moi_ to the fire-"

"I don't...I don't even know who the Hades you are!" I shout.

"You don't? Well, you should. My name's Drew. I'm a daughter of Aphrodite," Drew says.

"Oh. Um, nice to meet you...I guess..." I mutter.

"So...don't you have something to ask me?" Drew asks seductively.

"But...I don't want to ask you or go with you to the fireworks..." I say.

"Why not?" Drew pouts.

"Because...because..." I say frantically.

**Thalia's Point of View**

Currently, I'm leaning against my pine tree, listening to Green Day on my iPod. Bless them. I don't know how I would live without their music.

Being by my tree makes me think. About my past life. About my mom, my dad, my brother, running away with Grover, Luke, and Annabeth...it makes me think. The tree was actually my home for six years. Six years. Wow. When you think about it, that's a long time to be stuck in a tree. But the alternative was being dead. Not fun. I'd take being a tree for six years any day.

_I heard you crying loud,_

_all the way across town_

_You've been searching for that someone,_

_and it's me out on the prowl_

_As you sit around feeling sorry for yourself_

_Well, don't get lonely now_

_And dry your whining eyes_

_I'm just roaming for the moment_

_Sleazin' my back yard so don't get so uptight_

_you been thinking about ditching me_

I sing along to the song quietly, humming more then saying the words. I lean into the bark, feeling the rough edges poke through my leather jacket. The pine needles poke me slightly, but I don't really mind. I just want to relax and let go.

_No time to search the world around_

_Cause you know where I'll be found_

_When I come around_

"_Don't you have something to ask me?"_

"_But...I don't want to ask you or go with you to the fireworks..."_

Wait...what? Those aren't part of the song. Whatever. Probably some idiots arguing about the fireworks tonight. I'm definitely not going. I hate really big social events, and the romance part? Not really my genre.

_I heard it all before_

_So don't knock down my door_

_I'm a loser and a user so I don't need no accuser_

_to try and flag me down because I know you're right_

_So go do what you like_

_Make sure you do it wise_

_You may find out that your self-doubt means nothing_

_was ever there_

"_But...why?"_

Oh, gods, those fools are talking so darn loud! Just shut up so I can listen to my music!

_You can't go forcing something if it's just_

_not right_

"_Because...because..."_

I swear, I am going to go over there and-wait, that's Percy's voice...what the Hades is going on?

I'm going to investigate.

**Percy's Point of View**

"Because...erm...because..." I wrack my brains for a decent excuse.

"Percy, can't I listen to my music in peace? Just go somewhere else and continue your conversation!" Thalia snaps, coming up behind me, a sleek silver iPod dangling in her left hand. "I mean, you are about as loud as-"

"Sorry Drew, but I can't go with you to the fireworks because I'm going with Thalia," I say quickly, snaking my arm around Thalia's waist. Drew's mouth hangs open in shock and her eyes bulge out of her sockets (not a good look for her, by the way) while Thalia gasps in surprise and anger and her eyes flash dangerously.

"Percy, what the Hades-" Thalia hisses scathingly in my ear, only loud enough so I can hear.

"Thalia, just shut up for a moment," I whisper-hiss back. Then I turn to Drew and say, "I really am sorry, Drew. You seem like a really...great...person and all, but Thalia and I are already going together, so..."

"Oh, I see," Drew says, with hurt and rage laced into her voice. "But just think about this, Percy: if you want to go with that punk-goth, freaky skank, or me." With that, she flips her hair around, so that it smacks Thalia and I in the face, **(A/N: Lol, I love doing this to people :)** turns on her heels, and stomps away, her manicured hands balling up into fists.

"Who the Hades is she calling a _punk-goth freaky skank_?" Thalia snarls, her eyes alight in fury, while simultaneously retching strands of Drew's curly hair out of her mouth and clawing at her tongue. "That stupid, spoiled, stuck-up, majorly conceited, BIT-"

"Okay, language, Thalia," I warn her, spitting onto the ground, trying to get the taste of Drew's shampoo out of my mouth. "Urgh. Gods that was gross."

"And don't think you're off the hook, either!" Thalia snaps, placing her hands on her hips and giving me a death glare. I try not to cower. "What the Hades were you thinking? Why would you say you're going to the fireworks with me? And then put your hand around my waist?"

"Well, I really didn't want to go with Drew," I pause while Thalia makes a noise of disgust. "But I didn't want to hurt her feelings and then you came along and...it was impulsive, okay Thalia? Curse my ADHD."

"Whatever. Glad I could be of use to you," Thalia rolls her eyes. "But why couldn't you have just said you were going with Annabeth?"

"Because she's going with Will Solace," I grit my teeth. "The whole freaking camp knows that, Thalia, so then Drew would've known I was lying."

"Really? I would've thought she was going with _you_," Thalia says, surprised.

"Why would she go with me?" I splutter indignantly.

"Well, I thought you two were, like, boyfriend-girlfriend," Thalia answers. "But if you aren't going with her...then who are you going with?"

"No one," I say, blushing lightly. "Who are you going with?"

Thalia shrugs. "Same here. I'm not going."

"What? Why?" I demand.

"I'm not a very social person, in case you haven't noticed, Percy," she replies. **(A/N: In the books, she's very slightly kind of anti-social; I know I'm stretching that quite a lot.)** "I just don't really want to go."

"Go with me," I say impulsively, as Thalia starts to walk away, inserting her earbuds. She stops dead.

"What?" she asks, shock written all over her face, her eyes stunned.

"Well, I mean, I think we should go as friends...I mean, I want you to go to the fire works...and, well...since we both don't have anybody to go with..." I struggle to form words.

"Are you...serious?" Thalia asks me.

"Why wouldn't I be?" I ask, slightly offended.

"I dunno...well, yeah, sure, I guess I'll...go to the fireworks with you..." Thalia mumbles.

"Erm...okay. Great. I'll...uhh...meet you at the beach?"

"Sure. See you then," Thalia says, a small grin flashing across her lips, before placing both earbuds into her ears and walking away.

**Thalia's Point of View**

_No time to search the world around_

_Cause you know where I'll be found_

_When I come around_

_No time to search the world around_

_Cause you know where I'll be found_

_When I come around_

_When I come around_

_When I come around_

_When I come around _

**Should I keep going with this? Or should I just stop it here? I thought the song was pretty darn perfect and fit in nicely with this chapter...please review! Oh! And also, I'd like to run a few ideas by you guys. I'm thinking about doing a songfic for Thalia and Jason (as a brother/sister relationship, obviously.) to either **_**Coming Home**_** by Diddy-Dirty-Money & Skyler Grey, or to **_**Set The Fire To The Third Bar**_** by Snow Patrol and Martha Wainwright. BOTH ARE GREAT SONGS YOU MUST LISTEN! I'm also thinking about doing a story about Thalia, Annabeth, Grover, and Luke. It'll be about their time on the run. Or, I could do a story about Thalia being the child of the Prophecy. Please tell me if you like any of these! The two longer ones (if I decide to do them) will probably be summer projects. **

**I have some more news. I'm not going to be able to update this story as much as I could before, which was like once a day or once every other day. I'll be able to update it at least once a week, though. My school work is becoming extraordinarily tough, and it doesn't help that I have to memorize a twenty-six page piano piece by the end of this month. (AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! OH MY GODS! I MUST PRAY TO APOLLO!) Sorry! But don't worry, I will continue to work on this story as much as I can.**

**Please review!**

**Until next time.**

**~lilmissf**


	25. Of Pissed Demigods and Awkward Turtles

**Hi there! I'm back, with a new chapter, gueststarring In the Closet FanFic Reader! Yay! His character is Alex, a.k.a. Jolly Green Giant, son of Demeter. Oh, and I'm having trouble responding to reviews...anyone know why? Is this site just being spazzy? Whatever. Sorry I can't reply to your reviews, but thanks for reviewing, everyone! OH! And I have some more news! I'm now a beta-reader! YAY! I also made that songfic I was talking about...it was more of a Thalia and her mom songfic...it's called The Lack of A Mother, and it was for mother's day. It's to the song Coming Home. Okay, right, right, onto the chapter. This is for AnnabethChaserocks, CassandraDaughterOfHades, Bookgirl333, plasticjungle, Thalia4evr, So True, Poseidon93, and 003keyblader, for urging me to continue the one-shot about Thalia and Percy going to the fireworks together. Hope you all enjoy it! **

**Disclaimer: I don't own Percy Jackson...blah blah wish blah blah did blah blah Rick blah blah blah blah Riordan.**

**Annabeth's Point of View**

"Ready to go, Annabeth?" Will Solace asks me, running a hand through his windswept, surfer-boy, sun-kissed hair, doing nothing but making it more untidy.

"Ready," I say, a bit nervously, as I readjust my heavy turquoise necklace, move the collar on my white, lacy T-shirt to the right a fraction, and tug down the hem of my jean shorts. Will waits patiently, then grabs my hand, and we walk to the beach. **(A/N: Okay...just realized a mistake...Will is like, three years older than her...awkward.)** Will Solace is a really nice boy, and good-looking, too, with his bright azure eyes and athletic build. He's also really, really smart. I just kind of wish...well, I wished that Percy had asked me to the fireworks instead of Will...

When we arrive at the beach, I walk among the campers, mingling with everyone. I chat, I laugh, I talk about who's going with who. Normal fireworks behaviour. Sometimes I think it's a bit shallow, but tonight I make an exception; it's more fun when Will's beside me, being his usual charming self.

All's well until I spot a head of black hair. Black hair that looks _extremely_ familiar. No, it can't be Thalia. Because Thalia never, _ever_ wears electric blue halter necks, or un-ripped black jean shorts, or black gladiator sandals. It can't be Thalia. Because Thalia doesn't wear jewelry, and the girl has a small cluster of black bracelets on her left hand, along with one silver one. And Thalia's hair is spiky, not wavy, like this girl's. And besides, Thalia didn't want to come to the fireworks.

But as the girl turns around slightly, I get a view of her profile. Electric, bright blue eyes, a spray of freckles splattered across her high, pale cheekbones. It _is _Thalia. And she...did something to her hair. To make it seem more natural, wavier than it normally is.

I've got to go talk to her.

I push through the crowd, murmuring things like, "'scuse me...please move...get out of the way!" I make my way over to Thalia, who's talking with Silena, and I manage to catch some of her conversation.

"...I can't believe you're actually going with him! I knew you guys would end up together! How did it happen? I want to know every little detail!" Silena squeals, her dark almond eyes narrowed in anticipation while clasping her hands. Her hair is scattered in a cloud of dark, loose curls, and she's wearing a red sundress that flares out at her hips and ends five inches above her knees, creating a classy yet still summery and casual look.

"Well, actually, he pretended he was going with me to get out of going with Drew-"

"Oh, I can _totally_ see how he wouldn't want to go with her...she's such a jerk..."

"-and he ended up asking me. But, you know, Silena, we're only here as friends-"

"Hey Thalia," I say, coming up close to her and grabbing her hand roughly, plastering a fake grin on my face. "Umm...don't mean to be rude...but why the Hades are you here? I thought you weren't coming."

Thalia rolls her eyes. "Nice to see you too, Wise Girl. And I wasn't going to come, but then," she blushes slightly, the scarlet accenting her eyes, "someone asked me...and I...well...said yes."

"Who asked you?" I demand. What boy could have _possibly_ gotten Thalia to look like this?

"I did," says a familiar voice behind me.

**Thalia's Point of View**

Oh, gods. Annabeth looks absolutely _steaming_. Her face is an unsightly shade of red and her lips are twisted down into an ugly grimace as Will Solace tries to calm her. Percy fidgets nervously. He's wearing a blue plaid button-down shirt with long sleeves that he's hastily rolled up, long jean shorts, and untied converse, looking cute in a kind of sloppy way. I grind my teeth, extremely annoyed with the situation right now.

"I cannot _BELIEVE_ you guys are going to the fireworks together," Annabeth shrieks, stomping her foot in fury.

"Yeah, that was everyone else's reaction, too, sans the angry tone," an athletic-looking boy, who's been watching us from the sidelines, inputs.

"And who are you?" Annabeth asks impatiently, a hint of nastiness lacing her tone.

"I'm Alex, Son of Demeter," Alex says, stretching out his hand with a smile that lights up his turquoise eyes. Annabeth completely disregards the friendly gesture, so instead he runs the muscled hand through his dark, red-tinted hair, shrugging at her behaviour.

"Oh, I know you. You're the Jolly Green Giant," I remark, remembering how he grew a vine so large it knocked over the Aphrodite Cabin.

"It wasn't my fault!" Alex said, rolling his eyes, but with a joking grin. "I was mad my cabin lost the Capture the Flag game...and I kind of wanted to get revenge on Kaycee for tripping me..."

"Believe me, I've been there," Percy mutters. "Gods, I should not have left my shoes untied that day..."

"You were just setting yourself up for failure," I reply, laughing slightly, rolling my eyes.

"Hey!" Percy protests. "How was I supposed to know you were going to _step_ on them?" Percy, Will, Alex, and I burst into laughter which attracts stares from everyone.

"Shut up!" Annabeth snarls.

"Gods, Annabeth, relax! You'd think you have a _thorn _in you side," Alex says with a mischievous grin, and just as quickly as the words leave his mouth, and extremely thorny rose pokes out from the brown and brushes against Annabeth, hard enough for her to feel it, but not hard enough to break skin.

"Ouch!" Annabeth shrieks. "What the Hades was that for?"

"For being a total killjoy, Annabeth," Silena answers, coming up with Beckendorf not far behind.

"How can I not? I mean, my two best friends _dating_ behind my _back_?" Annabeth says furiously.

"Annabeth," I say, fighting to keep my voice calm. "Percy and I agreed to come to the fireworks as friends-"

"-that's what _they_ think," Silena whispers to Beckendorf, and I pointedly glare at her, which she just smirks at.

"-and if I have told you once before, I have told you a _million_ times, Percy and I aren't dating. We aren't going to date. So stop being so...crotchety," I snap.

"Crotchety? I have a _right_ to be crotchety," Annabeth snarls.

"Um, last time I checked, it wasn't against the law to go to the fireworks _as friends_ with Percy," I reply.

"It may not be against the law, but I don't like it! If you and Percy start..._dating_, then I'll feel like a third wheel. _Just how I felt like around you and Luke_!"

**Percy's Point of View**

Oh my gods. Annabeth said the keyword for a horrible night: Luke. Thalia still hasn't gotten over him. Doubt she ever will. And right now, frankly, Thalia looks like she's been slapped in the face, like she wants to slap _Annabeth_ in the face, or wants to start crying. Which we both know won't happen.

Annabeth's harsh words ring in the air like the bells in my head that are saying: _warning! Warning! Two pissed off girls=bad night._

"Awkward turtle," Alex interrupts, smiling, making the famed hand gesture.

"Way to make it even more awkward," I say, letting out a burst of laughter. Thalia's shoulder un-tense for a moment, but her eyes stay in their hard, electrified state. Annabeth just crosses her arms and glares at everyone in the vicinity. Will Solace looks back and forth from Thalia to Annabeth, and Silena covers her mouth dramatically, her dark eyes widening.

"How can you say that?" Thalia asks in a choked voice. "How can you _say_ that, Annabeth?"

"Because it's true," Annabeth snarls, baring her teeth.

"It is _not_ true," Thalia says, grinding her jaw together. "I can't believe you would say that."

"You know what? I think I'm done here," Annabeth rages, and stomps away. Will Solace quickly runs after her.

"You okay?" I ask Thalia quietly, and she takes a deep, shaky breath.

"Yeah, I'm fine. But Percy? What she said...it's...it's not true, okay? Don't believe it," Thalia murmurs.

"Don't worry," I hear myself saying. But on the inside I'm not so sure.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Oooohh! Look! The fireworks are starting!" Silena squeals, and drags Beckendorf away to claim a blanket.

"Well..." I say, and the word hangs in the air awkwardly. Thalia rolls her eyes and playfully shoves me.

"Let me guess what you were trying to say: shouldn't we go and get a blanket to watch the fireworks? Am I right?" Thalia asks.

"Yeah, just about," I say, flushing slightly and tugging at my collar.

"Gods, don't be a stranger, Seaweed Brain," Thalia mutters as we walk slowly down to the beach. "You're just making this thing a hundred times more awkward."

"Right. Sorry," I apologize, but Thalia waves it away.

"Puh-lease. After that whole fight earlier, it's better to be awkward about it than pretend it never happened," Thalia says.

"I guess your right," I say, and impulsively, I take her hand. **(A/N: AWWWWWWW! *cough* right, sorry, the story.)** Thalia's muscles tense in surprise, but after a moment she relaxes and intertwines her fingers with mine.

**~PJO~**

"I guess you were right," Thalia murmurs quietly as the breeze lifts her hair up slightly. "This was actually kind of fun to go to." The crowd gasps in pleasure as a spray of fireworks ignite the dark sky, forming into a scene of Hercules slaying the Nemean Lion.

"I'm sorry Thalia," I say with a smirk. "What was that?"

"Nothing," she says, and leans into my chest.

**PLEASE REVIEW!**

**~lilmissf**


	26. Of Chats and Crutches

**I just could not stay away from this story! The inspiration was given to me by Cassandra Daughter of Hades. This chapter is set after Percy saves the World...shows the time in between Manhattan and Camp. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I owned PJO...in a dream...**

**Percy's Point Of View**

I walk over to Thalia. She's sitting on a bench, a pair of crutches next to her, one of her legs horribly twisted and shattered. But she's alive. She's alive.

"Hey Seaweed Brain," she says with a wan smile, from where she sits. I plop down next to her.

"'Sup, Pinecone Face?" I ask playfully, and she rolls her eyes.

"Oh, you know, getting over the shock of saving the whole fricking world, silently cursing Hera, trying not to move my leg, craving a cheeseburger at McHale's...same old, same old," Thalia answers with a grin, running a hand through her spiky mess of hair. I notice she's grown it out; it goes to about an inch under her shoulder blades now.

"Gods, it's been a while, hasn't it?" I ask. "Y'know, since we've had a regular conversation. With just the two of us."

"Yeah," Thalia agrees, after a short pause. "Yeah, it has. So. How does it feel to be Mr. Big Shot?"

"Not fun," I admit. "So many people, Thalia. So many people died."

"I know," Thalia replies. "Beckendorf. Michael Yew. Silena."

"Luke," I add, and her face tenses slightly.

"He was a hero," she said hoarsely, her face now gaunt and haggard.

"He was," I agree. "He was the hero of the prophecy. It was never me."

"Always had to frickin' prove himself," Thalia says, and I think I catch a silvery tear dripping down her cheek before she turns slightly, shielding her face from view. "He always had to push himself until he got hurt."

"He'll go to Elysium," I say. "He said he was going to try for rebirth and Isles of the Blessed. But I think he should just relax and be happy."

"We both know he was never really happy after...well...I was turned into a tree," Thalia replies, then sighs heavily. "None of us were ever happy until we found each other. I guess one time I was...but then it was taken away, and that was the last straw."

"And what was it that made you so happy?" I ask carefully.

"Well...the thing is...I had a brother..." Thalia mutters.

"A brother?" I ask, shocked. "You have a brother?"

"_Had_, Percy, I _had_ a brother," she says bitterly. 

"What do you mean, _had_?" I ask.

"My mom murdered him when he was two," Thalia answers, and I feel my blood run cold.

"Oh, gods, Thalia, I'm so sorry, that was a stupid question to ask."

"You had no way of knowing, it's not your fault," Thalia replies, but her tone is laced with remorse, grief, guilt, and sorrow.

"What was his name?" I ask, hoping I'm not going to make her upset.

"Jason."

"Jason? Like, Jason and the Golden Fleece?"

"Yeah."

"Kind of funny...you know, since the Golden Fleece is the very thing that revived you..."

**Short chapter, I know. But I'm seriously starting to freak out over my piano thing, so...there should be another short chapter coming out today or tomorrow. Hey, I wanted to ask you guys something...I can't reply to any reviews...anybody know why? Thanks.**

**Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	27. Of Dreams and Straightjackets

**Hey! I'm back! So, another long author's not, another long chapter...sorry...I have some questions I need to ask you guys...Okay, one, does anyone know what color Silena's hair and eyes are? 'Cause in the books, it says she has black hair and brown eyes, but in the Last Olympian, when she leads the Ares cabin into battle disguised as Clarisse, it says that she has brown hair and blue eyes, and in the Ultimate Guide, her eyes were blue but her hair was blond...so...I have no idea what the heck she looks like...Second question is: are Thalia and Percy up to par on fighting? Because Percy and Luke are considered to be the 'greatest swordsmen of the century,' but in the Titan's Curse, it says that Luke has never won a duel with Thalia yet, and she ends up defeating him. So...who's better, Thalia or Percy? If you could give me the answers to these questions, I would greatly appreciate it. :). Onto the chapter! In the Lightning Thief, it talks about how Percy had a dream about Thalia, so I thought, what if Thalia was having the same dream at the same time? **

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO...wish I did...blah blah blah sheep blah blah blah glitter blah blah blah...**

After Thalia had been turned into a tree, time had slowed down for her, like she was a fly trapped in amber, fighting to get out. She has no idea she was a tree. Her subconscious had been detached from her body. Sure, she could still hear snatches of conversation from the outside, but she heard them and forgot them as soon as the words reached her ears. They didn't process, and they didn't make it into her memory. She remembered the dreams, though. Oh, the dreams. They were wild, fantastic, fear-inducing...beyond anything you could imagine.

The years she had spent as a pine tree had been spent of her seeing dream after dream, one after another, on and on. Some were about Jason. Others were about Luke, Annabeth, and Grover. And yet...others were about people she didn't know, or things she didn't understand. One had stood out in particular.

Her dream had started out simple enough: she was forced to take a standardized test while wearing a straitjacket. And it was white. She really hated the color white.

All the other kids had finished and were going out to recess while she had been struggling to pick up her pencil, writhing and squirming in her straitjacket, trying desperately to free herself from it.

_Come one, Percy. You're not stupid, are you? Pick up your pencil._ Percy? Her name was Thalia, not Percy. Who the Hades was Percy?

Thalia, in her dream, looked over at the next desk, and saw the boy at the desk was doing the same. He was also wearing a white straitjacket, but she could see a bit of an orange t-shirt peeking out from under it. He had sea green eyes, which, right then, were looking both surprised ad frustrated, and a mess of shaggy, floppy jet black hair. _He must be Percy,_ Thalia realized. He smelled like sea salt.

Thalia kept struggling against her straitjacket, annoyed that the boy was just sitting there like an idiot, clearly dumbfounded and making no effort to escape. This had really infuriated Thalia, and she glared at him before snapping, _Well, Seaweed Brain? One of us has to get out of here._ Seaweed Brain? Now _that_ was a really weird insult...

The boy, Percy, suddenly began to struggle with his own straitjacket, as though awakened from a deep sleep by Thalia's words, and she could see that he was beginning to get frustrated as well.

_What's your name?_ Thalia has asked in her dream.

_I am Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon,_ they boy had said. _And you're Thalia, Daughter of Zeus. You're a tree._

What an odd thing to say...

**Okay, all of this came from the Lightning Thief, except for the last couple of lines. Those I made up, 'cause then Percy's dream switches to him going into the underworld. Still can't reply to reviews...sorry...but I still love getting them and I love you all for reviewing!**

**~lilmissf**


	28. Of Ships and Coffins

**First of all...OH MY FRICKING GODS I'M PAST 200 REVIEWS! Thank you to every single person who has reviewed; you have all kept me going and are my inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, this chapter is for AthenaKidd, who reminded me about another dream Percy had about Thalia. This time, he actually gets her eye color right. :) Oh, and AthenaKidd also pointed out two chapters ago I made an error: Percy leaves right from Mt. Olympus when Nico tells him about Rachel, so, technically the little scene that I wrote couldn't have happened. Sorry! But, onto this chapter! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Look at the name of this site. FANFICTION dot net. It's where FANS write FICTION! I DON'T OWN!**

Thalia had had another dream about the boy, though it was a very long time later. So long she had almost forgotten about him. But not quite.

The dream had started pleasantly. She, in the dream, was on a ship, in a gorgeous room, with large, elegant curved windows that reached from the floor to the ceiling. The curtains were open. It was nighttime outside, and the stars glittered sinisterly. The floor was covered in an ornate Persian rug. The air swirled with shadows around Thalia, making her feel cold down to her very bones. Voices whispered all around her—spirits of the dead.

_Beware, _they whispered. _Traps. Trickery._

The strangest thing was that all of the cold, the miserable, fear-inducing cold, was coming from the back of the room. Thalia turned, feeling her foot grind against the floor, and saw an enormous golden casket laid on a velvet dais at the back of the room. It was carved with Ancient Greek scenes of cities in flames and heroes dying grisly deaths, and was emitting a faint glow —the only source of light in the room. Evil practically radiated from it. The sarcophagus scared Thalia, but worse, it seemed to be calling out to her, telling her to come closer.

A cold laugh startled her. It seemed to come from miles below the ship. _You don't have the courage, young one. You can't stop me._

Then Thalia saw movement to her right, so she turned slightly. That boy. The boy from before. He was here. With her.

Somehow, the thought comforted her. She wasn't alone.

He took out an ordinary pen from his shirt pocket. His shirt was orange. It had the words "Camp Half-Blood" written on it.

Camp Half-Blood? A faint flutter of recognition sounded in the back of Thalia's mind. Camp Half-Blood...she had heard that name before.

A shimmering bronze blade sprung out from what used to be the pen. It glittered slightly in the golden light. _Anaklusmos. _The Riptide. Ghosts whirled around the boy like a tornado. _Beware!_

The boy looked scared, his face a ghostly pale sheen. He couldn't seem to make his feet move, but Thalia could see the determination in his eyes.

Then she spoke: "Well, Seaweed Brain?" Why did she keep calling him Seaweed Brain? He looked pretty intelligent.

He looked over at Thalia funnily, like something was wrong with her.

"Well?" she asked, growing a bit impatient. "Are we going to stop him or not?" Him? Who was he?

The boy didn't answer or move; he still looked petrified.

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Fine. Leave it to me and Aegis."

She tapped her wrist and her silver chains transformed— flattening and expanding into a huge shield. It was silver and bronze, with the monstrous face of Medusa protruding from the center. It looked like a death mask, as if the Gorgon's real head had been pressed into the metal. Thalia smiled. Aegis petrified people. Not in the _oh my gods, I'm turning to stone_ kind of way, but in the _oh my gods that thing is scaring the living daylights out of me_ kind of way. Just being near it made most people cold with fear. In any fight, Thalia was almost impossible to beat if she had Aegis with her. Any sane enemy would turn and run.

Thalia drew her sword **(A/N: Whuuut? Since when does she have a sword?)** and advanced on the sarcophagus. The shadowy ghosts parted for her, scattering before the terrible aura of her shield.

"No," she heard the boy say, trying to warn her, but she had to destroy whatever was in the box. She didn't listen. She marched straight up to the sarcophagus and pushed aside the golden lid.

For a moment she stood there, gazing down at whatever was in the box. Thalia's body went numb and she felt sick to her stomach. The had coffin begun to glow.

"No." Talia's voice trembled. "It can't be."

From the depths of the ocean, the same ancient voice Thalia had hear before laughed so loudly the whole ship trembled.

"No!" Thalia screamed as the sarcophagus engulfed her in a blast of a golden light.

_Wow_, thought Thalia. _Defeated by a freaking coffin. Way to go, Thals._

**Okay, anyone else wondering why Percy keeps dreaming about Thalia? Is it because they're destined to be together? Or Thalia saying to Percy, "Oh my gods, just hurry up and get me out of this freaking tree!" Or just a coincidence? REVIEW PLEASE!  
**

**~lilmissf**


	29. Of the Titan's Curse and Drabbles

**Gods...I haven't updated for a long time...well, for me, I mean. Anyway, my big competition was this weekend, and I did pretty well. For the regular level kids my age play (I played the Sugar Plum Fairy dance) I got second place out of nine teams. For the advanced level that high schoolers usually play (the Slavonic Dance) I got second place. And for my solo, Rondo Capriccioso (look it up on youtube) I did pretty well. Phew. It's all over. So...NOW I HAVE MORE TIME TO UPDATE! YES! So, this is a good-sized update to compensate for my absence...hope you guys like it a lot! It's all about the Titan's Curse and includes pretty much every fricking scene between Thalia and Percy I could find...didn't take that long; the book's pretty much CHOKED with them...anyway...dum dum dee deeeeee dum da dum dum dee dada dumm...huh? Oh right! The story! I totes forgot! Anyway, this chapter is dedicated to plasticjungle, who created a FREAKING AMAZING banner for this fic! Go check it out! It's in the review section. Plasticjungle, thank you so much; I'm really honoured! Wait...did I just say honoured? I'm not British...I'm American...huh. I just realized I switch between American and British spellings all the time...lol. Wait...I'm rambling again...so sorry. Enjoy the chappie!**

**Disclaimer: No, I'm not Rick Riordan. I'm just a young teenage girl who enjoys writing fanfiction.**

**Thalia's Point of View**

The light from the helicopter blinds me, and my vision erupts in white. Why are mortals getting involved in this? They're only going to get hurt. I blink my eyes rapidly, trying to regain my vision, but nothing happens. I try squinting, but all that does is send a sharp wave of pain over my head.

The manitcore's tail came out of nowhere and slammed into me, not only knocking the breath out of me, but also sending Aegis flying in one direction and my spear flying in the other. I land on my back in the snow, frigid wetness seeping through my jacket, the breath I have slightly regained leaving me again. I'm breathless and dizzy, my head pounding in a dull rhythm.

Dr. Thorn stands over me, a triumphant smirk spreading over his beastly face. His tail writhes as it whips through the air, the spikes glinting in the sharp sunlight as they prepare to impale me.

"No!" I hear a strangled shout, and Percy rushes to my side, parrying the spike that would have hit my chest. Sparks fly into the freezing air as Percy lifts his shield into the air above both of our heads.

How...gallant of him.

**~PJO~**

**Percy's Point of View**

I know it is a mistake as soon as Thalia raises Aegis, the celestial bronze glinting in the bright afternoon sunlight. The boar turns towards us and charges, its eyes alight with an insane fury.

"REEEEEET!" it squeals angrily as its hooves pound on the snow-covered ground.

"Come on!" I said, grabbing Thalia's arm and dragging her uphill as the boar plowed through numerous rocks and trees. We barely kept ahead of it.

"This way!" I say, pulling Thalia along as I duck underneath an old tunnel, which has a weak-looking wooden bridge spanning a huge gorge at the back of it. "Follow me!" Thalia slows down, but I yank her arm and she trips, stumbling before running again. When we reach the back of the tunnel, her face pales, making the snowy landscape look slightly gray.

"No!" she screams, looking down in horror at the seventy-foot drop that was spread out before us. She looks at the tiny, unsteady bridge and acts like she is about to faint.

"_REEEEEEEEET!"_ the boar squeals hysterically from right behind us, it's breath billowing into the air.

"Come on!" I plead What was with her? "It'll hold out weight...probably..."

"I can't!" Thalia whimpers, her face a mask of hysterical fear.

The boar burst through the tunnel.

**Thalia's Point of View**

"Now!" Percy yells at me, but I am frozen, unable to move except for my hands, which are shaking. My stomach twists and turns violently. I look down and swallow with difficulty, my body rigid with fear.

The boar starts to run towards Percy and I, its huge tusks poised to spear us through. Percy, acting on a whim, tacklew me, sending us hurtling off of the edge of the cliff.

I try to scream, but the wind takes my breath away. Instead, my pupils dilate dangerously as Percy and I slide on Aegis to the bottom of the gorge. Percy is gripping me tightly, his eyes alight with fear and surprise. My vision starts swimming and I panic.

We skid to a stop, Aegis sliding out from underneath us. I start to hyperventilate, my head reeling. My face is littered with cuts and scratches from the pine trees that had brutally attacked me on the way down; pine needles were intertwined with pieces of my dark hair.

Percy looks at me, his sea green eyes flickering. I meet his gaze for an iota of a second, but then I turn it to the ground. "You're afraid of heights."

My face heats up as I flush angrily. "Don't be stupid," I snarl, fear, adrenaline, and fury coursing through my veins.

"That explains why you freaked out on Apollo's bus. Why you didn't want to talk about it."

I take a deep breath, running my hand through my hair, picking out pine needles. "If you tell anyone, I swear-"

"No, no," Percy says, shaking his head, his hair falling into his eyes. "It's just...the daughter of Zeus, Lord of the Sky, afraid of heights?"

**~PJO~**

**Percy's Point of View**

"There's a path," Grover says. "We could get to the river."

I try to see what he's talking about, and finally notice a tiny ledge winding down the cliff face. Just looking at it makes me dizzy, and I've never been afraid of heights. "That's a goat path."

"So?" he asks, slightly offended.

"The rest of use aren't goats."

"We can make it," Grover encourages. "I think."

I think about that. I've done cliffs before, but it'd never really appealed to me. I look over at Thalia to ask her what she thinks, and I see pale she's gotten, her freckles looking like tiny black ants climbing up small white hills that are her prominent white cheekbones. Her problem with heights...she'll never make it. I can't put her through something like that. Seeing her while 'sledding' down the gorge was horrible. She looked panicked, her eyes wide while her pupils dilated dangerously, her mouth open in a scream no one could hear. She'll never be able to do it. And I won't make her.

"No," I say. "I, uh, think we should go farther upstream."

"But-" Grover starts. 

"Come on," I say. "A walk won't hurt us."

I glance at Thalia. Her eyes say a quick _Thank you_.

**~PJO~**

**Percy's Point of View**

Thalia embraces me, her body pressing into mine. Then she breaks away and smiles at me warmly. I feel a blush creeping up my cheeks as she grips my shoulder.

"Umm...aren't you not supposed to do that anymore? Hug boys, I mean?"

"I'm honoring a friend," she says, and a funny look flits across her face.

It's the look of despair, of wanting, of guilt and remorse of not doing something.

**~PJO~**

**Percy's Point of View**

As we trudge back up Half-Blood Hill to the pine tree where the Golden Fleece glitters, I half expect to see Thalia there, waiting for us. But she isn't. She's long gone with Artemis and the rest pf the Hunters, off on their next adventure.

I miss her already.

**Thalia's Point of View**

I place the intricate silver tiara on my spiky black hair. Already, I've changed into ripped, skinny camouflage pants, a silver hunting jacket, and black combat boots. It feels good, and it fills a void in my heart that's been empty ever since I woke up from my six year slumber inside of a tree. But there's still one part that refuses to fill.

I miss Percy already.

**Ideas? Comments? Criticism? Random stuff you want to get off your chest? Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	30. Of Dancing and Jesse McCartney

**Hi! So...umm...I'm havin' another contest! YAY! 250th reviewer gets to gueststar of make up a plot! Urgh. ERBs are coming up. Stupid little bubbles *grumble grumble grumble* NUMBER TWO PENCIL! *grumble grumble* CHEESE *grumble grumble* Onto other matters...this chapter's plot was given to me by GleekPJOFreak! It's AU...kind of. Instead of Grover and Thalia dancing together and Percy and Annabeth, it's going to be Thalia and Percy...sorry Percabeth shippers! (Funny, 'cause I'm for Perlia and Percabeth...) YAY! ENOY!**

**Disclaimer: I'm not ol' Rick...though I wish I was...then there would be more Percy and Thalia bonding time...**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Don't look at the kids," Thalia orders. "We have to wait for a chance to get them. We need to pretend we're not interested in them. Throw him off the scent."

"How?"

"We're three powerful half-bloods. Our presence should confuse him. Mingle. Act natural. Do some dancing. But keep an eye on those kids." Gods, now she sounds like a babysitter. Must've had some practice taking care of Annabeth.

"Dancing?" Annabeth asks, surprise written all over her face.

Thalia nods, rolling her eyes slightly, the bright blue irises flickering. She cocks her ear to the music and makes a face, her lips twisting down in a grotesque grimace. "Ugh. Who chose the Jesse McCartney?"

Grover looks hurt. "I did." I have to hold back a burst of laughter.

"Oh my gods, Grover. That is so lame. Can't you play, like, Green Day or something?" I smile slightly.

"Green who?"

"Never mind." Thalia sighs, rolling her eyes again. "You are _impossible_, Grover."

"No I'm not!" Grover says indignantly. "I'm not impossible! I'm...possible...?"

"That doesn't even make sense," Annabeth snorts. Then he gaze flits over to Dr. Thorn, who's leaning against the wall, staring at us suspiciously, both of his eyes murderous. The blue one was leaning towards a fear-inducing iciness, while the brown one was more hostile. "Okay, guys, he _definitely _suspects something is up. Thalia, are you sure that you did finger-snap-mist-trick-thingy right?"

"Yes, Annabeth, I did it right. Both teachers are positively convinced that we are students here...though, who would want to be?"

"Apparently everyone here," I point out, and Thalia shoots me an exasperated look.

"It was a rhetorical question, Seaweed Brain," Thalia snaps. "Though I doubt you know what that means."

"Oh, so now you're questioning my intelligence?"

"Well...do you know what it means?"

"...no..." **(A/N: No, I doubt Percy doesn't know what a rhetorical question is.)**

"I rest my case."

"Guys!" Annabeth hisses. "Just dance already! He looks like he's not buying out act!" All of us glance nervously at Dr. Thorn, who glares at us. Annabeth, panicking slightly, grabs Grover and begins slow dancing with him. She begins to regret she choose him when he steps on her foot, crushing it beneath his hoof. Thalia snorts, rolling her eyes for the umpteenth time today.

"What are you staring at?" Thalia demands, and a small flush spreads across my face when I realized I've been looking at her intensely this whole time.

"Are you dizzy from rolling your eyes all the time?" I blurt out, without thinking. _Erre es korakas, _ADHD! Thalia gives me a death glare, and it takes all of my willpower not to cower in fear.

"If you don't want to find a spear up your as-" Thalia says but I quickly place my hands on her hips and start leading her to the dance floor. "PERCY! What the Hades are you _do_-"

"_Shut up_," I hiss. "_It's Dr. Thorn._" Thalia follows my gaze to the disguised monster, who's looking straight at Thalia and I. We quickly look away, meeting each other's gazes before looking down in embarrassment.

"Well," Thalia sighs. "I suppose if we're slow dancing...we should do it right." Then she loops her arms around my neck. I freeze and she stiffens, but in a moment, we both relax at the same time, which makes us both blush. At the same time.

"Aww..." Annabeth croons in my ear softly as she and Grover stumble by, only loud enough for me to hear. Which is good, because if Thalia had heard that, Annabeth would be a pile of charred ash with the handle of Thalia's spear sticking out. I throw her a wicked grin as she winces again when Grover stomps on her foot.

"Hey, umm...Grover? Let's go get some drinks, alright? Y'know...take a break from dancing..." Annabeth says innocently. "If you could call it that," she adds in a mutter, so that Grover can't hear. I smirk as Annabeth wrenches on hand out of his grasp and drags him towards the drinks with the other.

"Urgh," Thalia says. "Gods, I really fricking hate this song. Jesse McCartney sucks. I hate him so much."

"Eh, it's okay," I compromise.

_I shouldn't love you but I want to_

_I just can't turn away_

_I shouldn't see you but I can't move_

_I can't look away_

_I shouldn't love you but I want to_

_I just can't turn away_

_I shouldn't see you but I can't move_

_I can't look away_

_And I don't know how to be fine when I'm not_

_'Cause I don't know how to make a feeling stop_

Thalia leans into my chest (I find it funny how short she is compared to me) and heat creeps up my face, making me blush.

_Just so you know_

_This feeling's taking control of me_

_And I can't help it_

_I won't sit around, I can't let her win now_

_Thought you should know_

_I've tried my best to let go of you_

_But I don't want to_

_I just gotta say it all_

_Before I go_

_Just so you know_

_It's getting hard to be around you_

_There's so much I can't say_

_Do you want me to hide the feelings_

_And look the other way_

"This song is sooooo perfect for you guys!" Annabeth smirks as she walks by, and I scowl deeply at her.

_And I don't know how to be fine when I'm not_

_'Cause I don't know how to make a feeling stop_

_Just so you know_

_This feeling's taking control of me_

_And I can't help it_

_I won't sit around, I can't let her win now_

_Thought you should know_

_I've tried my best to let go of you_

_But I don't want to_

_I just gotta say it all_

_Before I go_

_Just so you know_

_This emptiness is killing me_

_And I'm wondering why I've waited so long_

_Looking back I realize_

_It was always there just never spoken_

_I'm waiting here...been waiting here_

_Just so you know_

_This feeling's taking control of me_

_And I can't help it_

_I won't sit around, I can't let her win now_

_Thought you should know_

_I've tried my best to let go of you_

_But I don't want to_

_I just gotta say it all_

_Before I go_

_Just so you know_

"Gods, that song was _awful_," Thalia says at the end of the song, unwinding her hands from my neck and rolling her eyes. "_Erre es karokas, _Jesse McCar-"

"Oh, no," I mutter to myself, only loud enough so that I can hear. Dr. Thorn and the Di Angelos are gone. I have to go after them. I consider asking Thalia...but, no. I can do this without her help. "Thalia, I'll...be right back."

"Okay," she shrugs.

I walk out of the gym, into the frigid air.

**Crappy note to end it on...oh, well. Oh, and the song was Just So You Know by Jesse McCartney. I don't own it, Jesse McCartney and his producers or whatever do. Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	31. Of Unexpected Visits and Archery Lessons

**Hi guys! I can't believe it...but the contest is already over! Wow, that one was quick...anyway, the winner was Lord Jace! So, Lord Jace, please send me a PM with either an OC for me to use in the next chapter, or a plotline. Thanks! Okay...still can't reply to reviews...so I'm just going to reply to them at the start of each chapter until they fix the problem!**

**Starlit Reader- Thanks! I do like writing banter for these two...it's beyond fun! Thanks for your reviews! They always help me improve my writing.**

**GleekPJOFreak- No, thank you, very dedicated reviewer! You're idea is a good one...inspiration forming...story plot in progress! Thanks for all of your wonderful reviews!**

**SeaChick- LOL. Reading your review made me laugh. :)**

**Superstar 1- Thanks for your three reviews! Here's the update!**

**Hedley is Amazing- Thanks! I worked pretty hard on it, and it was a hard idea to work with, but I think it turned out alright. **

**Lord Jace- Yeah, I wish it had turned out the way I wrote it, too. When she was like, "let's dance, goat boy," I was like, "NO! Thalia, you don't go for a satyr if Percy is RIGHT NEXT TO YOU!" Thanks for your review! Remember to PM me about your OC or plotline.**

**Dreams of the Darkness- First off, love your name! Second, thank you so much for your compliment! It flattered me.**

**R0xas666- I am totally on your side for this one. CURSE YOU RICK RIORDAN! MAKE IT PERLIA, DARNIT! Actually...maybe it isn't the smartest idea to curse him...*gulp* sorry, Rick. Thanks for the review!**

**AngelicBlues502- I'm glad I got you hooked! Thanks for the kind words!**

**IFoundAPickle- LOVE YOUR NAME! Thanks for the compliment!**

**CassandraDaughterOfHades- I was thinking about it...but I couldn't figure out how to fit it all together...sorry. :( But thanks for taking the time to review!**

**In the Closet Fanfic Reader- Yeah, I know. I just cannot write Annabeth! I don't know why! Either she turns out being an uptight jerk, or a ditzy Aphrodite child-like person. GARH! Thanks for the constructive criticism, though. I'll make sure to work on that.**

**The Wizarding DemiGod- Thank you so much! Your review made me very happy. Your hope is a good one, and let's hope it works. **

**Okay, now that I got that done...enjoy this chapter! Oh, and before I forget, yes, Annabeth is sitting at PERCY's table...don't ask me how it happened...it just did. So don't flame me for it and be like, "lil, this is totally impossible! Campers from different godly offspring aren't allowed to sit at the same table!" Okay...now read!**

**Disclaimer: Already disclaimed.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Thalia!" Annabeth squeals, practically leaping out of her chair. She accidentally knocks into me, and I happen to be drinking a glass of juice. The juice goes up my nose instead of down my esophagus as a result. Not. Fun.

"Annabeth, are you crazy?" I splutter, coughing up snot-flavored orange juice. Gross. "What the Hades are you-"

"Language, Percy," says a familiar voice, and I look up into familiar blue eyes.

"Thalia!" I exclaim, giving her a big hug. I look at her closely as I step back. She's wearing Hunter attire: tight, artfully ripped camouflage pants and a couple of layers of silver, gray, and white tank tops. But she's traded her silver hunting jacket and tough hunting boots for a familiar leather jacket and black combat boots. Her hunting pack is nowhere to be found. I note that her hair is much longer than I last saw her, which was ages ago; it now tumbles down to a couple of inches below her shoulders. Her silver tiara is crooked, reminding me of a halo gone askew. "Great to see you! But...well, I don't mean to be rude when I say this...but why are you here?"

Thalia shrugs, her hair falling over her startling eyes; she quickly and impatiently shoves it back. "Artemis thought I deserved a break, so I got permission to come visit you guys. Gods, I've missed you all so much!"

"We've missed you a ton, too," Annabeth assures her. "How long are you going to be here?"

"Maybe two or three days," Thalia replies. "Not very long, just enough to chat and see how things are going over here."

"I am _so_ glad you're here, no matter how many days," Annabeth says. "Here, sit, you need something to-"

"Actually, I don't," Thalia cuts in, giving her a crooked grin. "I already ate. But I do need to put my stuff in my cabin."

"I'll come with you," Annabeth quickly offers, and the duo saunters out of the Dining Pavilion.

**~PJO~**

_FWOOOSH!_ The blade slices through the air, then impales itself in a straw dummy. I grit my teeth as I yank it out, feeling sweat drip down my face. I've been working myself into the ground for about an hour and a half. Pausing for a moment, I wipe my forehead with my hand, and suddenly, Riptide is yanked out of my head. I jump, startled, and hear it land with a loud clang at the other side of the arena.

"What the Hades?" I mutter.

"Surprise," someone says, wrapping two hands around my eyes, obscuring my vision. Grinning, I yank them off and spin around quickly to see Thalia.

"You do know that was kind of pointless, since it's just going to appear in my pocket again, right?" I ask her, smirking, and her confident smile falters for just a moment before she rolls her eyes.

"It was just to get your attention, Seaweed Brain," she says exasperatedly. "I'm teaching you how to shoot a bow and arrow."

"Oh, no," I warn her as I back away slowly. "No way. You know I suck at archery."

"So did I," Thalia shrugs. "Before I joined the Hunters, I could barely knock an arrow, let along hit a target. It just takes practice."

"Easy for you to say," I snort. "Both Apollo and Artemis dote on you."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Thalia sputters indignantly.

"Nothing, nothing," I mutter. Then I sigh and roll my eyes heavily. "Okay. Let's say I did agree to learning how to shoot-" Thalia grins in triumph "-how would I? I mean, I don't really have a bow and arrow handy at the moment."

"No biggie," Thalia shrugs. Suddenly, her bow and arrows appear in midair. Thalia's bow is a silvery color, with intricate designs and an ornate hand grip. Right now, the whole thing shimmers in the sunlight, like it is coated with diamonds. "Where are the targets?"

"Over there," I gesture to a series of painted canvases on bales of hay.

"Cool. Okay, the first thing you do is nock an arrow," Thalia commands. I look at her cluelessly, holding an arrow in one hand and the bow in the other. Thalia sighs loudly, rolling her eyes. Nocking an arrow is when you fit the shaft of the arrow into the arrow rest on your bow," she explains slowly, like you would to a three year old. I stick my tongue out at her before clumsily nocking my arrow.

"Honestly, if you act like this all the time, I don't know how Annabeth can put up with you as a boyfriend," Thalia snorts. I tense up slightly, fiddling with my arrow.

"So Annabeth told you about that, huh?" I ask her carefully.

"Are you kidding me? It was the first thing that exploded out of her mouth when we got out of the Dining Pavilion," Thalia gives me a lopsided grin. "Of course, I totally expected this."

"You did?" I ask, surprised.

Thalia nods. "Of course. _Everyone_ saw this coming, Seaweed Brain. You're basically like the golden couple. I heard even Aphrodite helped you along the way."

"Yeah...well...kind of..." I murmur, not really sure how to respond.

"Okay. Now, fit the end of the arrow onto the string, making sure that it's below the nocking point, which is the bead on the string," she says, and I turn it so that the bow is horizontal, and, clumsily as before, I fit the end into the string. "Make sure that the index feather, the feather that's differently colored, is sticking up towards you." I nod. "Okay, now you put your left hand on the grip, and you turn it up vertically." I do what she tells me. "After that, take your middle finger and your index finger and grip the string with one finger on each side of the nocking point."

"What?" I ask, bewildered.

Thalia laughs. "Here," she says, and moves my fingers into place. A tingle spreads from my fingers up my arm. "Now, pull back," I do what she says. "No, tighter. Not that tight! A little looser. Good. Okay, now pull back a little more...perfect. Let it fly."

I release the string and hear a satisfying twang as the string vibrates. Then the sound of Thalia bursting into peals of laughter. "What's so funny?" I demand, and then I see where my arrow landed. About five feet in front of me, no where near the target. "Shut up, Thalia," I say, blushing. "You know I suck at archery."

"Here, try it again with my help," Thalia says. I nod and nock another arrow. Thalia guides her lithe fingers over my rough, calloused hands, gripping them tightly as we pull back in harmony, and then release the string. Right before I release it, I feel the same tingling feeling, like I'm getting a small electric shock. Thalia takes her hands off mind, inspecting the target.

"Well, at least you hit the target this time, though just barely," she observes.

"Thalia, did you just shock me? Before, I mean, when we were getting ready to release the arrow," I say.

"No, why?" she asks, arching a thin black eyebrow.

"Never mind," I mutter. But if she didn't cause that shocking feeling...what did?

**My archery lingo isn't that good, sorry. I hope Annabeth wasn't too OOC this time. Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	32. Of Front Seats and Discussions

**School is finally done! I've moved up a grade! YES! And summer means more time to update! Well...kind of. You'd think so, right? But, no, now my piano teacher wants me to practice SIX HOURS a day. Yay. Anyhoo, this plot was given to me by Lord Jace, so...thank you! And wow...I'm actually up to 273 reviews. HOLY FREAKING AMAZING! Here are the responses to reviews:**

**Heartless demon wolf: Thanks for the compliments! But, no, this is just a bunch of unrelated one-shots, except when there's two parts to the little stories, like Who Are You Going With? Part 1&2. Yes, I'm trying to make a Perlia story, but I have about seven in-progress stories right now and I want to finish a lot of them before I do. And yes, I'm going to have Thalia not join the Hunters, because making her leave is just...meh. And everyone does it.**

**GleekPJOFreak: Thanks so much! Here's the update!**

**In the Closet FanFic Reader: Yeah, sorry, it's a little confusing. The latest one-shot I did was after TLO. But most of these are in between TSOM and TTC. All of these are unrelated one-shots...so...yeah. Thanks for the compliment!**

**Lord Jace: Thanks for the awesome plot!**

**R0xas666: Yet so far...**

**IFoundAPickle: YUHMMEZ! A PICKLE! THANKS A BUNCH!**

**CassandraDaughterOfHades: Why thank you! Love ya too ;). Hmm...good point...is she? Thanks so much!**

**Sea Chick: Really? O.o At my camp they said nock...and I looked it up on this website and it said nock too...maybe they were wrong...**

**: Thank you! I worked really hard on it. I don't know if they're going to be a pair in this one, but I'm going to make a story that is Perlia. Thanks for the compliment! **

**The Wizarding DemiGod: Is he? I think so...quite possibly. Aww...it's good that you feel special, all my reviews should because THEY ARE AWESOME!**

**Poseidon93: I'm with you on this one. :)**

**rgrrgdfgvdddrtg: I don't think so, sorry to disappoint. It's just that I still like Percabeth, and if I try to write Annabeth cheating on Percy, well...first, I don't think she would do that, and second, I am really bad at writing Annabeth and she would probably end up looking like a ditz or a b!tch. But maybe you should try writing that!**

**plasticjungle: Actually, once I get all organized and stuff, I am going to write an actual Perlia story, and I'll probably use your idea! Thanks!**

**StarlitReader: Oh, thanks for catching the typos! I always do stuff like that...yeah, I agree, the banter between them is just too cute! Thanks for all of your support!**

**owlgrrl: Hey, thanks for reviewing **_**The Oracle's Attic!**_** It made my day :). And I'm glad my one-shots make you laugh. *GASP* I SWITCHED TENSES? GODSDARNIT! Urgh. I'm great at making sure the tenses stay the same when I edit OTHER people's work, but I can never do it with my own! GAH! It's hard because the books are written in past tense, but I write mostly in present tense, so sometimes I forget to change when I write a scene that comes directly from a book. I'll work harder to make sure I don't switch tenses. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: For the MILLIONTH TIME, I DON'T own Percy Jackson.**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Join you?" I ask Thalia, praying she won't shut me out like she does to everyone else. She shrugs, so I climb into the shotgun seat. The radio is playing the White Stripes. I know the song because it is one of the only CDs I own that my mom likes. She says it reminds her of Led Zeppelin. Thinking about my mom makes me sad, because it doesn't seem likely I'll be home for Christmas. I might not live that long. _Wow, way to be melodramatic, Percy,_ I think to myself.

"Nice coat," Thalia tells me, eyeing the brown duster with a hint of a smile playing on her lips.

I pull it around me, thankful for the warmth. "Yeah, but the Nemean Lion wasn't the monster we're looking for."

"Not even close. We've got a long way to go." _Way to state the obvious, Thalia_, I think, trying desperately not to roll my eyes.

"Whatever this mystery monster is, the General said it would come for you. They wanted to isolate you from the group, so the monster will appear and battle you one-on-one." I feel bad saying that. When you're a demigod, you're singled out of normal people, and when you're a child of one of the Big Three, you're singled out of demigods. But when a monster singles out a child of one of the Big Three, then you know things are bad. I'm not too worried about Thalia, though. She's one Hades of a fighter.

"He said that?" Did I not just tell you that?

"Well, something like that. Yeah."

"That's great. I love being used as bait."

"No idea what the monster might be?" I ask hopefully. Thalia know a lot about monsters, so maybe-

She shakes her head morosely. "But you know where we're going, don't you? San Francisco. That's where Artemis was heading." She says 'San Francisco' with a slight tinge of fear, causing me to wonder why. I remember something Annabeth said at the dance: how her dad was moving to San Francisco, and there was no way she could go. That half-bloods couldn't live there.

"Why?" I ask curiously. "What's so bad about San Francisco?"

"The Mist is really thick there because the Mountain of Despair is so near. Titan magic—what's left of it—still lingers. Monsters are attracted to that area like you wouldn't believe."

"What's the Mountain of Despair?"

Thalia raises an eyebrow, trying to hide a smirk. "You really don't know?" Then her face darkens. "Ask stupid Zoe," she says, resentment lacing her tone. "She's the expert." She glares out the windshield. I want to ask her what she was talking about, but I also don't want to sound like an idiot. I hate feeling like Thalia knows more than I do, so I keep my mouth shut.

The afternoon sun shines through the steel-mesh side of the freight car, casting a shadow across Thalia's face, illuminating her pale, gaunt skin. I think about how different she is from Zoe—Zoe all formal and aloof like a princess, Thalia with her ratty clothes and her rebel attitude. But there is something similar about them, too. The same kind of toughness. Right now, sitting in the shadows with a gloomy expression, Thalia looks a lot like one of the Hunters.

Then suddenly, it hits me: "That's why you don't get along with Zoe."

Thalia frowns. "What?"

"The Hunters tried to recruit you," I guess.

Her eyes get dangerously bright, and they look like they're about to shoot out a million bolts. I think she is going to zap me out of the Mercedes, but she just sighs. "I almost joined them," she admits. "Luke, Annabeth, and I ran into them once, and Zoe tried to convince me. She almost did, but…"

"But?"

Thalia's fingers grip the wheel. "I would've had to leave Luke."

"Oh."

"Zoe and I got into a fight. She told me I was being stupid. She said I'd regret my choice. She said Luke would let me down someday," Thalia says bitterly, glaring out of the window.

I watch the sun through the metal curtain. We seem to be traveling faster each second—shadows flickering like an old movie projector. "That's harsh," I say. "Hard to admit Zoe was right."

"She _wasn't_ right! Luke _never_ let me down. Never," Thalia argues, her fists clenched.

"We'll have to fight him," I say. "There's no way around it."

Thalia doesn't answer, and her face is hard to read.

"You haven't seen him lately," I warn her, more than anything just trying to make sure old feelings don't get in the way of what we have to do. "I know it's hard to believe, but—"

"I'll do what I have to."

"Even if that means killing him?" I let the question hang in the air.

"He's like a brother to me, Percy. I could...never, ever hurt him..."

"If you're the child of the Prophecy, you're going to have to," I argue back.

"What if I'm not? What if I'm not the child of the Prophecy? What if I don't want to be?"

"Then I guess I'm going to have to kill him instead," I sigh. "Look, Thalia...this Prophecy thing...it's gonna be hard."

"No shit, Percy," Thalia growls back, but at least she's looking me in the eye.

"But no matter how hard it is," I say hesitantly, then take her hand in mine. "Just know that I'll always be there for you."

**Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	33. Of Eagles and Fathers

**Hi! Sorry about the long wait, but I've been really busy. Also: some bad news. I'm not going to be able to update for the next couple of weeks. My aunt, uncle, and cousin are here from New York, then, the day after they leave, my best friend that moves to Singapore comes to visit us, then I go with her and her family to Las Vegas (oh, yeah. Be jealous.), Phoenix, the Grand Canyon, Austin...etc. **

**Well, now that that's over, I have some VERY important announcements, so this is going to be kind of a long author's note: **

**~I am officially a beta-reader, but since I'm leaving, I won't be able to bet anything until I get back.**

**~I have a poll on my profile about your favorite slightly non-canon PJO pairing. Please vote!**

**~I've hit 24,00 hits. Oh. My. Gods. YOU GUYS ARE FREAKING AMAZING!**

**~I have a new policy: if you make me fanart, I will write a one-shot dedicated to you. plasticjungle just made me an AMAZING banner, so plasicjungle, please PM me with a pairing you want me to do for the one-shot or a plot. Thanks!**

**~I have a cute lil' Perlia one-shot called **_**What If?**_** and I would appreciate it SO MUCH if you would read and review it!**

**~Does anyone wish to beta for me? I would REALLY appreciate it!**

**~Lastly, I'm not going to reply to any reviews except anonymous ones this chapter, sorry. That would make this UNBEARABLY long. But, they just fixed my review thingy! So I will reply to ALL of my AWESOME reviewers that review after this chapter. I'll keep replying to anonymous reviewers in my ANs, though.**

**Superstar 1: Awww...thanks, you are SO sweet!**

**Purple Panda: Thank you so much!**

**Okay! We got that over with, so on with the story! It's for Father's day. Yes, I know it probably never happened in the books; it couldn't, with the timeline, and the date that I put in there couldn't be the father's day (if it happened) in the books...it's AU, so no reviewing and being like, "THAT COULDN'T HAVE HAPPENED!" Believe me, most of the stuff I write in the story couldn't. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Hmm...I still don't own anything! But, honestly, are you surprised?**

**Percy's Point of View**

"Hey," I greet, walking up to Thalia, who's looking more infuriated and depressed right now than she usually looks. She's sitting on the bench in front of the firepit, staring into the flames which dance an elegant tango, flickering and sparking, the expression on her face matching the storms her father creates perfectly.

"Hi," she replies shortly, not looking at me. And awkward silence makes itself known as minutes pass and the only noise is the soft rustle of a breeze rustling our hair and the leaves on the numerous trees spread around us.

"So..." I start, and the silence breaks.

"Listen, Percy, what do you want? Because I've got better things to do than standing here listening to you stutter," Thalia snaps, clenching her black nails into her palms and grinding her teeth together.

"Gods, Pinecone Face," I snarl. "I was just _trying_ to be nice because you look damn depressed right now, so sorry for trying to be a caring person." I turn on my heel, now thoroughly pissed, and start to walk away when she grabs my arm, squeezing tightly. I stop for a moment, but don't look at her.

"Look, Perce...I'm sorry, okay? It's just...today isn't a great day..." she mutters, releasing her grip.

"Why, what's today?" I ask, feeling really stupid.

Thalia looks at me, studying every inch of my face, her enchanting eyes narrowed. "You honest to gods don't know?"

"No...why, should I? What's so special about today?" I inquire, my curiosity piqued by this notion.

"Well...it's June 19th.." Thalia answers slowly, blinking as she stares at me to see if I get it yet.

"Uhmm...so?" I ask.

"It's...umm...well, it's..." Thalia stammers, turning slightly away from me so that half of her face is thrown into brightness from the dazzling glare of the afternoon sun and the smoldering light of the fire while the other half is cast into gloomy shadow, dark and depressing. "It's Father's Day."

"Oh," I murmur, and heat creeps up my cheeks; I swear I'm probably as scarlet as the strawberries that Katie Gardener has been picking (though you can't really call it that, since Travis Stoll has been pestering her all day). "Right."

"Yeah," Thalia says quietly.

"Do you...want to...talk about it?" I ask, rubbing the back of my neck while blushing and staring down at the brunneous dirt below.

"Sorta," Thalia shrugs. "I mean, I'm used to this kind of stuff..." she scuffs her shoe against the ground slightly, stirring up a minute whirlwind of dust, "and, besides, I'm not the only one with...Daddy problems."

"Or Mommy problems," I add. I sit down next to her slowly and cautiously, like approaching a vicious lion that's ready to pounce at any second. When she doesn't give me a death glare or try to zap me out of oblivion, I take it as a good sign, and relax my tense muscles. Thalia notices, and gives me a smile that doesn't quite reach her eyes.

"I'm not going to bite, Fishstick," she says, rolling her eyes in annoyance.

"It doesn't sound that way, Bolt Head, with you calling me a type of food..." I point out, and she lets out a short bark of laughter while she smacks me on the arm playfully.

"Ouch," I wince.

"Oh, puh-lease, I didn't even touch you," Thalia snorts, and I can't think of a witty response. Our conversation just lapses back into the angst it was drowned in before. The moment of light-heartedness was really only a distraction for Thalia, and it's not getting her out of her funk, either.

"Do you ever feel like...sometimes...your dad doesn't care about you? Or that...he doesn't love you?" Thalia's question takes me by surprise and I'm so startled I almost topple of the log we're sitting on.

"Well..." I hesitate. "Yeah, I mean...well, not anymore, no. I met him after my quest...and he told me that the law about not seeing your children was actually _created_ because of him."

"So, the gods could basically see their children as much as they wanted before a couple of years after your birth." It's not a question; I know it and she knows it. Her tone is hollow and emotionless.

"If you put it that way..." I say after a moments contemplation.

"So, basically, for the first years of my life until I was seven or eight, my dad could've come back and seen me, or sent me a message, or just show that he cared." Thalia's tone is flat, but I can tell that it's laced with anger.

"In case you've forgotten, Thals, he's the leader of Olympus-"

"That shouldn't change anything!" she shouts, her cheeks going a bright red, her eyes glazed over with hurt and pure, undiluted hatred. "He should have done something! Anything!" Her pitch is getting higher and shriller, so quickly and impulsively, I slap my hand over her mouth and glance around anxiously. She stops talking, shocked, but I can still feel her lips pressed against my hand, her warm breath spilling across my fingertips-

"Mmmmph!" Thalia says indignantly, her eyes glaring at me agitatedly.

"'Mmmmph!' to you too, Pinecone Face," I answer cheerfully, releasing my hand.

"What was that for?" she spits out, clawing at her tongue.

I shrug. "You were being too loud."

"Y'know, you could have just asked me, you idiot," Thalia states, rolling her eyes.

"Err...yeah, I guess that could've worked..." I say thoughtfully.

"If you had kept your hand over my mouth any longer, I probably would've bitten you," Thalia says.

"Thought you said you didn't bite," I accuse her playfully.

Thalia snorts. "Whatever." I retaliate by pushing her off the log, and she lands with a small _thump!_ on the ground, glaring at me. "What was that for?"

"I dunno," I say nonchalantly, shrugging. Thalia then lunges at me, tackling me to the ground, her lithe arms wrapping securely around my torso as we both fall to the ground, squealing and laughing.

Eventually, the silliness winds down, and we just lay on the ground with our backs pressed slightly against the log, both silent again. But it's different this time. It's not awkward, with neither of us knowing what to say, the right words evading us. No, this silence is cool and calm. It's one of those times where you don't need to say anything, and everything is just right.

**(A/N: I was going to end it here, but I decided to do an alternate ending to make it more father's day-esque.)**

A flash of black catches my eye, standing out slightly next to all of the thick green foliage, and I turn my head slightly to the left.

An eagle, it's white feathered head cocked majestically to the right, has landed on the tree Thalia used to be encased in. And it's looking right at me.

Wait, no. It's looking right at _Thalia_.

"Thalia," I whisper, nudging her and pointing to the bird, which is standing so still it looks like a statue. Thalia focuses her royal blue gaze towards the eagle in question. As soon as she sees it, her lips quirk up in a soft smile.

"I guess he cares after all."

**A cute, fluffy one-shot for all mah peeps! See you in a couple of weeks! Please review!**

**~lilmissf**


	34. Of Statues and Pain

**Hi! So...erm...this is a chapter, but mostly an excuse to make an announcement. A VERY IMPORTANT AND AWESOME ONE! Actually, one big one, and a few small ones...okay, shutting up now...first announcement is: I am still on vacation and will be for a couple of more weeks. But the good news is: I have the next couple of chapters planned out! Like, maybe four or so...anyways, next piece of news...300 FREAKING REVIEWS! ASDFKJADSJKD! OH MY GODS THANK YOU SOOOOO MUCH! And now for the big news...**

_**OF SHOCKS AND SEASHELLS**_** WAS NOMINATED FOR A PJO FANDOM AWARD! Thalia Marie Grace sent me a PM with the website which is: ****h t t p : / / p j o f a n d o m a w a r d s . w e b s . c o m ****Just remove the spaces. It was nominated for the friendship category and is competing against **_**To Be a Friend**_** by TheWalrusSingsAtMidnight26. It ends on July 14, so please vote! It would mean THE WORLD to me and I would really appreciate it.**

**Okay. Now that that announcement is over, here's the new chapter! It's a really short one since I mostly posted this because of the PJO fandom award announcement, but it's a chapter all the same. It happens in TLO. Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: Don't own.**

* * *

Thalia, Percy, Annabeth, and Grover were running under a regal marble archway with huge statues of Zeus and Hera, looking mightily down on young demigods, when the entire mountain groaned, rocking sideways like a boat in a storm.

"Look out!" Grover yelped, his eyes dilating in horror. Thalia saw archway crumble, seeing a twenty-ton Hera topple down on her friends, scowling the whole time, like she was sorely disappointed by them. Thalia gasped, realizing that Annabeth and Percy would soon be crushed under the statue, flattened by the sheer impact. She quickly shoved the duo from behind, and they stumbled forward, just out of the range of danger as the huge rock goddess crashed to the ground. As her limp body hit the ground, her head struck the ground, and Thalia's mind went slightly fuzzy and unclear. A searing pain erupted in her legs, creeping up her body slowly.

"Thalia!" Grover cried out as Annabeth and Percy picked themselves up off the ground, coughing from the dust that the impact had stirred up. The thick curtain of debris and rubble cleared and the mountain stopped shaking, they walked forward, finding the raven-haired girl alive, but with her legs hopelessly twisted and pinned underneath the colossal monument to the queen of the gods.

"Oh, gods," Percy said, his face a bit pale. He quickly took one of her arms while Grover and Annabeth took the other. "Okay, on the count of three. One...two...three!" Thalia yelled in pain as the trio tried desperately to pull her out from under it, biting her lip so hard it started to bleed, her legs throbbing. They quickly let go of her and didn't try again, knowing that it would take several Cyclopes to move it.

"I survive all those battles," she growled, trying to bring some optimism and humor into the situation even though she was very frustrated, "and I get defeated by a stupid chunk of rock!"

"It's Hera," Annabeth said in outrage, and Thalia could tell she was furious and guilty. The two emotions laced her tone. "She's had it in for me all year. Her statue would've killed me if you hadn't pushed us away."

Thalia grimaced, gritting her teeth, though she tried to turn it into a smile. "Well, don't just stand there! I'll be fine. Go!" Her fury built up as a burst of Kronos' laughter swelled, echoing in an eerie way. As thought caused by her growing anger and irritation, more buildings exploded in a burst of bright light that temporarily blinded the quartet. More rubble and grit rained down upon them; small slivers of glass, wood, rock, and metal embedded themselves in Thalia's upper body, and she had to bite down on her tongue to keep from screaming in pain. She could feel drops of blood sliding down her skin, some splattering onto the ground, some staining her face and arms. When the air cleared again, Thalia saw her friends' nervous faces peering down at her.

"We'll be back," Percy promised uncertainly, looking hesitant to leave the fallen daughter of Zeus behind.

"I'm not going anywhere," Thalia groaned, trying not to moan as another wave of pain hit her with alarming force, taking away her breath temporarily. She heard Percy yell something to the others, and the trio took off, tripping over various debris.

Thalia's legs were killing her; the weight was almost unbearable, pressing down on the small pieces of rubbish that were cutting into her flesh, and she grit her teeth in pain again. Sweat poured down her twisted face.

But she took it. She took the pain and bore with it.

Because she was doing it for Percy.

* * *

**Sorry for the shortness of this chapter. The next one will be longer! Please review and vote for my story!**

**~lilmissf**


	35. Of Guns and Skeletons

**Hi there! Back from my vacation. It was amazing! We went to Las Vegas (and no, the Lotus Hotel and Casino does NOT exist; I must've asked about ten cab drivers) and then we passed through the Hoover Dam on the way to the Grand Canyon. The angels are really pretty, though a lot bigger than I expected. But you don't care about my vacation, right? You want the update. SO LET'S GET GOING WITH THIS! **

**Superstar 1- Thanks for your compliments! They are so sweet. Oh! And I'm working on the idea you suggested; it'll probably the chapter after next. :)**

**This chapter was requested by Sage of Eyes, who asked me to write the moment Percy got shot in Thalia's perspective.**

**Also, this is unbeta'd (thanks for all the offers!) because I'm leaving at 5 a.m. tomorrow to go to camp for two weeks. Also, it has the f-bomb in it, so if people don't like swearing, skip over it. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: If you can raed tihs, you msut konw taht I do not own Percy Jackson and the Olympians. Haha. Fail.**

* * *

We kept walking, our breathing slightly labored, rising in swirls of mist in the frigid air. We had just made it to the edge of the town before the first two skeletons appeared, stepping out from the thick foliage on either side of the road, silent as shadows. I noticed that they were now wearing blue New Mexico State Police uniforms instead of the gray camouflage outfits they wore before. Their transparent gray skin and eerie yellow eyes were still the same, unfortunately.

As soon as they pulled out their handguns, a whisper of fear made my hands tremble slightly. I fought back a small gasp as they pointed them straight at us.

I quickly tapped Aegis, a flicker of hope and confidence rising, but it was quickly put out when the skeleton soldiers didn't even flinch. Percy uncapped Riptide, the Celestial Bronze glinting in the sunlight, while Zoe and Biana drew their silvery, ornate bows, Bianca slightly hindered by the swooning satyr that leaned against her.

"Back up," I commanded, and the others heeded my order and began to, but then we heard the cracking of branches and the harsh rustling of leaves. Two more skeletons appeared on the road behind us.

I cursed mentally. We were surrounded.

One of the skeletons raised a cellphone to his mouth. I wondered what the Hades he was doing, but then he made a clattering, clicking sound that made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end and raised goose-umps on my arms and legs. A shiver of panic shot up my spine, tingling it unpleasantly, as I instantly realized what he was doing. The skeletons had split up into smaller groups to find us, and now that they had...they were calling for back-up. Soon we'd have a full party on our hands.

My brain whirred as I tried to be like Annabeth and think of the best battle strategy. Maybe, just maybe, we could defeat these skeletons and escape before the others caught up. For that to work, though, we'd have to-

My rapid thoughts were interrupted by Grover, who moaned, "It's near."

"It's here," Percy told him; I guess he thought Grover was talking about the skeletons. I, on the other hand, wasn't so sure.

"No," Grover insisted, leaning back further, which sent a pang of worry shooting through my body. He wasn't in the condition to even _walk_, much less fight. "The gift. The gift from the Wild." I had not clue what the Hades he was talking about, but I figured that it could wait until later, seeing as we were about to be attacked by four skeletons who were all eager to kill us.

"We'll have to go one-on-one," I said quietly, and Percy, Zoe, and Bianca's gazes snapped over to meet mine. "Four of them. Four of us. Maybe they'll ignore Grover that way."

"Agreed," said Zoe, and the others nodded, silently voicing their consent.

"The Wild!" Grover moaned, and I had to hold back a sigh. The whole point of my plan was to keep the skeletons from noticing Grover, and if he couldn't shut up and stop moaning about the Wild and gifts, I doubt it would work.

I turned to Percy to ask him about what we should do about Grover, but I barely had time to register the fierce and furious expression on his face before he charged.

I saw that the first skeleton's grip on the gun had tightened and a bullet burst out of the end of the barrel. Fortunately, Percy saw it and quickly deflected it off of the edge of his blade, running all the while. My eyes widened a bit. That was amazing swordsmanship, so quick that I don't even think Percy saw it, just felt the air currents change and immediately knew the path of the bullet.

At times like this, I'm extremely thankful to have ADHD.

Undaunted by Percy avoiding his attack, the skeleton drew a baton, but by that time Percy was basically right in front of him. Percy quickly cut off both of the skeleton's arms at the elbows. I winced slightly as I heard the sickening crunch of the bones hitting the ground, but quickly composed myself as Percy swung his sword through the skeleton's waist, cutting it in half. All of his bones unknit and clattered to the ground in a gruesome heap. An involuntary wave of repulsion made me shudder as the bones almost immediately began to move, reassembling themselves.

The second skeleton clattered his teeth at Percy and tried to fire, but Percy retaliated by knocking his gun into the snow, where it stood out vividly against the pure white.

I let out the breath I had been holding in ever since Percy had charged. Percy was fine. He wasn't hurt. Actually, he was doing gre-

Percy's body seemed to crumple in slow motion, the sound of the shots that the skeletons behind us had fired still ringing in my ears.

I froze, chocking as I saw his motionless body that lay face-down in the snow. I tried to scream out, but my voice, along with the rest of my body, was frozen.

Icry fear doused my heart, then slowly spread throughout my veins.

"PERCY!" I screamed, regaining my ability to speak. White mist spewed out of my lips, rising into the frigid air before dissipating. All I could think was, _Oh my gods. Percy was SHOT. PERCY WAS SHOT! PERCY WAS FUCKING SHOT!_

When Percy lifted his head off the ground, like he couldn't believe he was alive either, I nearly cried out in relief as he slowly got up, like a man with arthritis.

A soon as my brains realized that fact that Percy was _not_ dead, my demigodly instincts kicked in, I charged at the second skeleton, my spear aloft. All I could think, with the battle raging on around me, was, _It's okay. He's safe. Percy's safe. We're all safe._

I kept thinking that as we continued to fight.

At least...until a giant boar showed up.

* * *

**Long chappie since I'll be gone. Hope you guys liked it. Now, I have something rather important I have to discuss with you guys. An anonymous reviewer, named dkcjioa (I don't know if they usually are a reviewer, or if they don't want to sign in) stated in their review that they weren't as interested in my story anymore, and that if I was running out of ideas, I should just finish this on a strong note. First, I want to thank them for being very honest with me; I really appreciate that. Second, does anyone else feel like that? You need to tell me. Please. And third, how long do you guys think this should be? I was thinking originally a hundred chapters...but I don't know now. Maybe only fifty? Please tell me in a review.**

**Also, I didn't win the PJO fandom awards. But thanks to all who voted! It means a lot to me.**

**Oh! And remember how a long time ago I promised plasticjungle a one-shot for making me fanart? I finally wrote it. It's a fluffy Rico fic called **_**Anything For You. **_

**~lilmissf**


	36. Of Disappearances and Familiar Faces

**Hi there! I'm back from vacation. Please read the bottom AN. Thanks!**

**Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Percy Jackson. I do, however, own Ms. Clio, Mellarn Academy, and any other unrecognizable characters in here.**

* * *

It's been six months. Six. Months. Six months since we've heard from her. Six months since we've seen her.

Six months since Thalia Grace disappeared.

It's been four months since most of the campers gave up hope.

It's been three months since Artemis replaced Thalia with Pheobe.

It's been one month since Annabeth gave up hope.

And it's been one week since I gave up hope.

We've tried. We've looked everywhere. We've had the Hunters search the wilderness. We've sent out quests to try to find her, to even pick up a trace. But none of the campers could find anything. We've tried to contact Olympus, but it's closed. It's been closed for six months. Ever since Thalia disappeared.

We have spent the last six months looking fervently for the daughter of Zeus, doing nothing else. Not going to school, not hanging around at camp. Just looking for a person who seems to have dropped off the face of the Earth.

Last week, Chiron finally persuaded us to stop looking and start school up again. I didn't like it, but I agreed. So now, Annabeth, Clarisse, the Stoll Brothers, and I are headed to our new school, Mellarn Academy. I hope it does us some good. We all need something happy in our life right now.

* * *

"C'mon Percy, let's get seats near the front," Annabeth says, tugging my arm and pulling me to a desk. I plop down in the chair with a sigh, looking around the room, uninterested with what was going on. Clarrisse is sitting a couple of rows back, scowling fiercely. The Stoll brothers are sitting the row before the last row, sporting matching grins and giggling. I snort. They must be pulling another prank or something. I close my eyes and slump down in my chair, trying to block out the insane chatter around me. Gods, these kids are so _loud_.

Suddenly, the noise stops, and my eyes snap open. A woman with light brown hair shuts the door before walking to the teacher desk, adjusting the square glasses that frame her intelligent hazel eyes. She sets the bundle of papers she is carrying down on her desk before turning to face us. She smiles brightly and says, "Good morning." She pauses, as though waiting for us to chant the phrase back, but the classroom is silent except for a few murmurs. She continues, unfazed. "I am your History teacher, Ms. Clio. I hope we'll become close this year." Ms. Clio turns around and grabs a sheet of paper and a pencil before clearing her throat. "I'm going to do a roll call so I can learn who's who. Hayley Aarons?"

"Here," calls out a brunette with long, curly hair.

"Seth Alexandrov?"

"'Sup?" replies a tan boy to my left, flicking his dark hair out of his eyes.

I zone out after this point, looking out the window at a few birds that fly past. Annabeth keeps poking me, hissing to pay attention, but I ignore her.

"Madeliene Frederickson?"

"Hi," says a high-pitched voice that comes from a few rows back. I don't even bother turning around to see who it is.

"Thalia Grace?"

Instantly, I sit up, my head snapping towards Annabeth. She meets my gaze with her stormy gray stare, and a million emotions pass between us.

_Do you think it's...her?_ Annabeth's eyes plainly ask.

I shrug, silently informing her that I don't know.

"I'm here." That voice. It is the same voice I've been longing to hear for six months. Annabeth and I whip around, both of us frantically trying to locate the source of the voice. I scan a number of faces, my eyes aching for that spiky black hair, those electric blue eyes, and that pale skin.

"Percy," Annabeth whispers, and points. I follow the direction of her finger, and I see her.

She is sitting in the last row, at the desk farthest to the left. I take in the unfamiliar bright T-shirt and regular, un-ripped jeans, thinking, _no, this can't be her, because Thalia would be wearing black, ripped clothes..._My thoughts trail off as I see the girl's hair. Her hair is a couple of inches longer than shoulder length, and it is less spikier than Thalia's, but it's the same shade as Thalia's. My eyes now roam over her face. That ski-slope nose, those high cheekbones and dramatically arched eyebrows, the splash of freckles that disrupt that creamy, pale skin...all familiar. But those eyes, those bright startling blue eyes are unmistakable. They are Thalia Grace's eyes, without a doubt.

That answers my first question. This is definitely and most certainly Thalia Grace, _my_ Thalia Grace. But that leaves all of my other questions unanswered.

Where the Hades has she been?

Why did she leave and not tell any of us.

And, most importantly, why in Zeus' name is she not wearing black?

Jumbled thoughts and questions swirl around my brain, tangling together and getting mixed up; a horrific mess of questions and imagined answers, of half-developed theories. I can't concentrate on the lesson at all. I am in my own little world right now, not taking in a word the teacher says. Instead of looking at the white board like I'm supposed to, my eyes keep flickering back over to _her_. I take in every inch of her, trying to memorize every single detail.

A loud, obnoxious bell startles me out of my thoughts and I leap up, determined to go talk to Thalia. Before I can, though, I'm forced out of the room by the swarm of my classmates that push me out the door.

"Annabeth!" I call out, and she hurries over to me, her expression perturbed and her face pale. "That girl-"

"I know," she interrupts me softly. "I know, Percy." We wait in silence as the rest of the students leave. When the last one, a blond boy with cold blue eyes, exits the classroom, a wave of panic sweeps over me. Where has she gone? I scan the hallway, panicked, looking for her. My eyes lock on a head of black hair, and instantly, I'm running, without waiting for Annabeth.

"Percy!" Annabeth shouts, but I don't stop for her. All that matters right now is getting to Thalia.

I've already lost her once.

It's not going to happen again.

* * *

**Hi there! Really important Author's Note (long one, too) so please read!**

**Regarding this chapter: This takes place either after the whole Roman-Greek thing or it take the place of TLH. You decide. It's going to be three or four chapters. And no, it isn't Perlia, just Perlia friendship. There isn't going to be Percabeth, either, just friendship. And yes, I did bring Connor, Travis, and Clarisse just because I wanted to. They have no point in this story. VIRTUAL COOKIE TO THOSE WHO SPOTTED THE PJO CHARACTER WHOSE NAME WAS NOT MENTIONED BUT HIS/HER APPEARANCE WAS!**

**Regarding the story: Thank you all for being completely honest with me. I really appreciate it. I've decided how long this story will be. 40 chapters. I'm going to do this four-shot (or three-shot) and one special one-shot for the end. Thank you all for sticking with me, I truly appreciate it. But I have some important and VERY exciting news! I AM GOING TO DO A PERLIA STORY! Yes, a PERLIA story. I'll post it after Of Shocks and Seashells is done, and hopefully you guys will check it out. :) It's VERY AU, so beware. Thanks again, guys!**

**HUGGLES!**

**~lilmissf**


	37. Of Recognition and Tardiness

**Hi! I'm back. I figured I'd been keeping you guys long enough, haha. And props to all who guessed the character last chapter! It was Luke. Most of you guessed him, but some of you guys guessed Jason (to be honest, I kind of forgot about Jason...whoops...). So...summary of my new story is at the bottom! Enjoy!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own...but I have a plan...*mischievous wiggle of eyebrows***

* * *

"Thalia!" I yell, pushing through the crowd. "Thalia!"

She doesn't hear me. Why isn't she hearing me?

"Thalia!" Finally, she turns slightly, and catches my eye, grinning slightly. My chest aches at the notion. I've missed that familiar grin, really missed it...

I catch up to her, breathing heavily. Who knew wading through throngs of students could take so much out of you? "Thalia, what the Hades is going on?"

She looks at me, her expression puzzled and politely confused. "Umm...excuse me?"

"What the Hades is going on?" I repeat. "Where have you been? Why is Olympus closed? And...why aren't you wearing black?"

"Olympus? Hades? Black?" Thalia echoes. "Is this...supposed to be funny? Some sort of joke?"

"No!" I yelp desperately. "Thalia, seriously, you're starting to freak me out. Why don't you remember this? Why don't you remember me?"

"Why should I remember you?" She asks me, her eyebrows drawn together. Cold shock wells through my body, and I stand still, mouth open, eyes wide.

"You...you d-don't remember me? My name? Anything?" I finally manage to croak out.

Thalia shakes her head apologetically. "Sorry...but before today...I've never seen you before." Well, that feels like a slap in the face. "As for your name...it's Percy, right? We have History together?"

"Umm...yeah..." I mutter, blush creeping onto my cheeks. Thalia would have remembered me...wouldn't she? Wait...does that mean she's not Thalia? No...she has to be...those blue eyes are unmistaka-

"Percy?" Annabeth pants, catching up to me. "Jeez, Seaweed Brain, you could have waited for me..."

"Sorry," I whisper, and she notices the downcast look in my eyes, realizing what must have happened.

"Hi," she turns to Thalia, brushing back a piece of her curly blond hair before sticking out her hand. Thalia takes it and they shake, Annabeth scrutinizing her all the while, causing a light pink blush to form over Thalia's freckles. "I'm Annabeth. Annabeth Chase."

"Nice to meet you," Thalia replies. "I'm Thalia Grace." I look at her face, waiting for that ugly look Thalia always got on her face when she said her last name. But there's nothing, just a small smile.

"So, uh, Thalia," Annabeth clears her throat. "D'you want to maybe sit with us at lunch? I...I mean we, I mean...well...I kind of want to talk to you about some...stuff."

"Oh." Thalia blinks. "Umm...sure...that's fine, I guess. What did you want to talk about?"

"Just...stuff," Annabeth mumbles, still being as vague as possible.

"Okay," Thalia says cautiously. Then she glances at the clock on the wall, and expression of surprise and fear crossing her face. "Oh, shoot, I gotta go. Apparently, Mrs. Hawthorne _hates_ tardiness...but I'll see you guys at lunch, right?"

"Right," Annabeth speaks for both of us, because I seem to have temporarily lost the power of speech. "We have a couple of people I want you to meet."

"See you then!" Thalia says cheerfully, walking off. I just stand there, almost frozen, while Annabeth looks after her.

"She doesn't remember us," I whisper, biting my lip as hard as I can without drawing blood.

"No. She doesn't."

"Why?" I ask petulantly, like a small child.

Annabeth gives me a small grin. "I don't know everything, Seaweed Brain."

I give a mock gasp and fall backwards, clutching my heart. "Annabeth Chase? _Not knowing something?_ The Apocalypse is coming!"

"Oh, shut up, Seaweed Brain," Annabeth says, smacking my arm, but she's smiling, and pretty soon we're both laughing hysterically, because this situation is _so darn ridiculous, _and-

"What are you both doing?" A shrill voice rings out, like nails on a chalkboard. We both immediately stop and turn, meeting the hawk-like gaze of a woman with steel gray hair, sharp beady eyes, and an ugly scowl on her face. "You should be in class."

"Oh, we were just-" Annabeth stutters.

"Never mind," the lady snaps. "Get to class. Don't let me catch you two, or you'll both be in detention for a _week_."

"Yes ma'am," I stammer quickly, and we both scurry out of her sight to our next class, which, thankfully, we have together.

* * *

Annabeth and I are both fidgeting like crazy, counting the seconds until it's time for lunch. We've been thrown many dirty looks over the course of the past three classes, almost getting detentions from irritated teachers, who apparently couldn't handle the sound of tapping pencils, or feet, or fingers, or-well, you get the idea.

When the bell _does_ ring, both Annabeth and I are out the door before anyone can even blink.

"Where the Hades is the cafeteria?" I snarl, frantically racking my brains for the direction we're supposed to go.

"Percy, relax," Annabeth takes my hand. "Thalia's probably not even out of class yet. Slow down."

"You try relaxing when one of you fricking best friends just appeared out of nowhere and is a freaking _amnesiac_ and doesn't even _remember_ you and is wearing a _bright T-shirt that's not black_ and-"

"She's my best friend, too, Percy," Annabeth snaps, rolling her eyes. That shuts me up for a moment, and we're both silent.

"Sorry," I mumble. "It's just...she's been gone for so long, and we just got her back, and..."

"I know," Annabeth murmurs, drawing me into a warm embrace. We jump apart once the hallway starts flooding with students. "How about we go get lunch?"

"Good idea," I tell her, and we set off towards the cafeteria.

* * *

"Dude! And then, she was all, 'what the heck?'" Connor laughs.

"I know!" Travis snickers. "Percy! Annabeth! 'Sup?"

Annabeth and I sit down, carefully placing our food-laden trays on the table. "

"Hey," I say shortly.

"Hi," Annabeth murmurs.

"Well, what's got your panties in a twist?" Clarisse growls menacingly.

My head snaps over to look at her. "You don't...know?"

"Know what?" Clarisse says, cocking an eyebrow.

"Hi Percy! Hi Annabeth! Are these your guys' friends?" All five of us turn towards the new voice, and there's Thalia, standing right in front of us, holding a red tray.

"Oh." Clarisse blinks. "Well...this is a new development."

* * *

We all sit, chewing quietly. You can almost feel the awkward in the air.

"So, Thals, how ya been?" Conner asks.

"Thals?" Thalia asks, confused.

"It's your nickname..." Travis tells her, as though she's dumb.

"No, it's not..." Thalia says.

"Yes, it is," Travis insists. "Remember? Percy used to call you that at Camp-" Annabeth quickly slaps a hand over his mouth, but lets go when he licks her, letting out a noise of disgust.

"Camp? What are you all going on about?" Thalia interrogates us.

"Nothing," Annabeth and I both hastily say.

"Oh...kay..." Thalia says. "So you said earlier you wanted to ask me about...stuff?"

"You talked earlier?" Clarisse snaps.

"No," Annabeth says quickly.

"Yes, you did," Thalia says.

"No, we didn't," I tell her.

"You guys are really weird...you know that, right?" Thalia grins.

"You have _no_ idea," I sigh. "So...about those questions...well, some of them might seem a little weird, but we...uh...ask people these questions all the time when we first meet them. _Right, guys_?"

"Right," Annabeth, Connor, Travis, and Clarisse chorus.

"So. First question. Do you believe in Greek myths?" I ask.

"You mean, like, Zeus and Aphrodite and stuff?" Thalia questions.

"Yeah."

"No, not really, why?"

"We'll ask the questions here," Travis says, quirking an eyebrow. Thalia just shakes her head.

"Second question. Do you live with your parents?" Annabeth asks.

"Yeah. My mom and my dad," Thalia answers, and we all slump down in our seats slightly.

"What's your favorite color?" Clarisse asks.

"I don't really know...I like a lot of them...but I really like red," Thalia muses. I meet Annabeth's gaze and a wave of desperation washes over me. Thalia's favorite color isn't red. It's blue.

"Do you see eagles a lot?" Connor prods.

"No...actually, I've never seen an eagle before," Thalia shrugs.

"Do you know a guy named Luke?" Travis questions, and Annabeth's face visibly darkens. Thalia hesitates, and that makes me look at her closely. Her eyes...a flicker of recognition flashes across them...her eye dart back and forth a little...her lip curls up slightly...all of this happens in less than a second.

"Luke? Nope. Don't know a Luke. I do know a Lucas, though." Thalia's answer is devoid of any emotion.

"Okay. Thanks for answering our questions," Annabeth says, and she gets up quickly. I follow after her.

"I don't think it's her," Annabeth confides in me, once we're out in the hall.

"It has to be," I say desperately. I saw something everyone else didn't. I _saw_ Thalia react to that question about Luke. I saw the look of recognition in her eyes.

It may not be much, but I'm going to hold onto it.

I'm going to use it to get the real Thalia back.

* * *

**Annnnd done! School starts in two days...blech...oh well. So, this is the summary for my Perlia fic:**

**It's simple. You go on a quest, rescue a princess, and she falls into your arms, declaring her everlasting love, right? Wrong. Unfortunately, Prince Perseus doesn't know that...**

**I know, I'll have to make it shorter, but that's what I came up with for now. When I ment AU, I really did mean it's going to be an Alternate Universe. Percy is a prince, and Thalia's a princess. Can't wait until I start it...:)**

**Thanks for the reviews, guys! I got a lot last chapter, it was a nice surprise. And...you know...could you maybe...coughcoughkeepitup?coughcough. Thanks!**

**HUGGLES!**

**~lilmissf**


	38. Of Heroes and Greek Mythology

**OH MY EFFING GODS WHERE HAVE I BEEN? Here, I'll give you a hint: it's my own mini-hell that I go to five days a week. Yup, school. So...I'm really sorry about how late this is...I suck. Feel free to stab me with pitchforks and torches after you read this chapter.**

**Disclaimer: After thirty-seven chapters? No. I'm not gonna say this.**

* * *

It's been two weeks. Two weeks since we started at this school, two weeks since we saw Thalia again, two weeks.

And still, nothing has changed.

Thalia hasn't remembered anything.

She hasn't had a sudden epiphany and remembered all of us.

She hasn't said, "Hey guys, wow, where have I been for six months?"

None of this has happened. And now, I'm doubting that it ever will.

* * *

"Good afternoon, class," our prehistoric teacher, Mr. O'Donnell, says in his dry, crackly voice.

There are a few murmurs of, "Good afternoon," but Mr. O'Donnell just ignores them and continues on.

"I have decided to give you all a project." His words are met with moans and groans, but I just stare out the window, watching a small brown zip past, streaking towards the sun. "Now, this project will count for forty percent of your grade, so I expect it to be good." Well, that grabs my attention. I can't fail, or I'll be kicked out of Mellarn, and right now, I really need Annabeth's support. "You'll be doing this project in pairs." Immediately, there's a flurry of activity as people whisper to their friends and pair up. I just vacantly stare out the window again. Mr. O'Donnell patiently waits until the rest of the class is silent before announcing, "The pairs have already been picked." Everyone visibly slumps down in their chairs, disappointed. "The project will be on a hero of Greek Mythology. You have to write a seven-page essay on why the person is a hero, and also come up with a presentation, like a video, a posterboard, Powerpoint, et cetera, about their history, like their full name, birthday, history, family, or anything else you would like to include. Understand?" There are a couple of people who mutter back, but the rest of the class is quiet, waiting eagerly for their partner.

Mr. O'Donnell clears his throat before retrieving a piece of paper from his briefcase and reading it off to us.

"Taylor Ziv and Marissa Melane." The two girls he called out eye each-other.

"Seth Alexandrov and Annabeth Chase," he calls out, and Annabeth lets out a sigh.

"Clarisse LaRue and Max Parker." I stifle a laugh as Clarisse glares at a wimpy-looking boy, who looks like he's about to pass out, cowering underneath her look.

"Uriah Tonno and Riley Karp."

"Lexi Martin and Madeliene Frederickson."

"Penelope Swan and Connor Stoll." I feel awful for whoever Penelope Swan is.

"Travis Stoll and Katrina Gabrielle." Likewise with Katrina.

"Bebe Collins and Tara Elliott." A noise of satisfaction rings out from behind me and I turn to see a girl with obviously dyed blonde hair smiling at a blue-eyed brunette.

"Patrick Vanders and Chase Kaplan."

"And Thalia Grace and Percy Jackson." I turn towards her, and she looks back at me, smiling.

Naturally.

* * *

"So..." Thalia starts, and I glance up at her. She's twirling a pencil in between her fingertips while looking off into the distance. "Which hero do you want to do?"

"What?" I ask.

She laughs. "Don't tell me you've already forgotten the assignment we have for English."

"Oh. Right," I answer, and my eyes flicker to the bookshelves that surround us. The silence is awkward, but then I remind myself that this is a _library, _and it's supposed to be quiet. "Well, umm...which one do you want to do?"

"Actually, I don't really know anything about Greek Mythology," Thalia responds.

_Lies, _my mind whispers. _Lies. _

"Are...are you sure?" My voice is shaking as I ask her the simple question. My hands are, too.

"Yeah. Why would I lie to you? My last school didn't really teach us anything about Greek Mythology," Thalia shrugs. "But I heard you and Annabeth discussing it, so I thought, well...that maybe you knew about it."

"Oh, trust me," I tell her. "I know so much about it you'd think it's my life."

"Wow," she replies, her eyes sparkling. "That's awesome! So, know about any good heroes?" And, just like that, a plan starts forming in my head.

"Yeah," I get out, my mind racing. "A bunch of them. There's one I think you would like, though."

"Really?" she asks, her eyebrows arching.

"Really," I respond, giving her a crooked half-smile. "You know about the Big Three, right?"

"Uhhh...no," Thalia shakes her head. "I don't know anything about Greek Mythology."

"Right," I say through gritted teeth. "Well, the Big Three are the three most powerful gods: Zeus, Lord of the Sky, Poseidon, Lord of the Sea, and Hades, Lord of the Underworld. Well, the gods could have kids with mortals. Those kids would be half-mortal, half-god. And so they were called 'half-bloods,' or 'demigods.'"

"Cool."

"Yeah. So, anyways, the Big Three's children were always more powerful than regular demigods. So powerful, in fact, that they could decide whether Olympus would survive or not."

"Whoa," Thalia exclaims, and I nod.

"There was a prophecy that the next demigod born to the Big Three would make the choice about if Olympus would be preserved, or if it would topple down, and the gods' era would be destroyed. So the Big Three made a pact that they would never have any children ever again. And they swore on the River Styx, which was the most serious oath you could make."

"And let me guess, one of the Big Three broke the pact," Thalia says, smirking. I whip my head towards her looking at her expression, trying to figure out if she really remembers.

"Yeah," I answer cautiously. "How did you know?"

"It was pretty predictable," Thalia snorts. "Go on."

"Right. Well, Zeus was the first to break the oath. He had a daughter," I continue, observing Thalia's reaction. Nothing. "Now, swearing on the River Styx is serious stuff. Poseidon and Hades wanted to punish Zeus for breaking the pact. But they couldn't do anything to him, because he was a god. So they punished his daughter instead."

"That's not fair," Thalia remarks.

"No. It wasn't," I agree. "Zeus' daughter was on the run with two other demigods when a satyr, a sort of goat-human hybrid, found them. He had orders to bring them all to a safe place. But Hades sent the most awful monsters after them to try to kill them. In fact, they almost succeeded a couple of times."

"Then what happened?" she asks, like a small child begging for the end of the story.

"She and her friends were almost there," I tell her. "But the satyr was hurt, and so were the two other demigods. The safe place was right up ahead; they could almost see it. But monsters were starting to surround them. And..."

"And?"

"She told them to go on, and that she would hold them off. They had no choice but to listen to her."

"Sacrificing yourself for your friends," Thalia laughs. "Sweet."

"Yeah," I clear my throat. "So, she fought valiantly. But...the monsters were just too overwhelming. And...she was an inch away from death when Zeus took pity on his daughter. He...turned her into a pine tree."

Thalia makes a face, her eyebrows scrunching together, mouth twisted into a grimace. "Stuck as a tree for eternity? I'd rather die."

"Dryads seem to be fine with it," I mutter.

"What?" she asks.

"Nothing," I say hastily.

"Well...that was a really interesting story, Percy," Thalia says. "I'd love to hear more about this girl."

_You don't need to,_ I scream mentally. _Because you _are_ her. You _lived_ her life. You know everything already!_

"Sure," I whisper, my voice raspy. "That'd be nice."

"Yeah," she agrees. "Really nice. Anyways, I'll see you later, Percy. I gotta go home and start working on my math homework."

"Okay. Umm...bye," I say.

"Bye," she grins, and then she walks out the door.

* * *

**You may now proceed to stab me with pitchforks and torches. :)**

**~lilmissf**


	39. Of Smiles and Sighs

**...try not to kill me 'til you read this, 'kay? Oh- and to Superstar1, your prompt will be turned into a one-shot as soon as I have time ;)**

**Disclaimer: Not even going to bother. After 38 chapters? Not gonna happen.**

* * *

I slam my locker closed irately and turn around with my backpack slung over one shoulder, then immediately running into someone.

Of course.

I grab the person's wrist as they start to fall backwards, only then realizing it's Thalia.

"Whoops," she says, getting back on her feet, albeit unsteadily, and gives me a smile. "Didn't mean to startle you, there."

"'S'okay," I shrug noncommittally, and Thalia pauses for a moment before continuing.

"Anyways, I wanted to ask you if we could work on our project at the library this afternoon, and then maybe go out and get pizza or something?"

"Umm...sure," I answer slowly, my eyebrows furrowing.

"Cool." She smiles again. Did the old Thalia ever smile like this? I don't remember. "I'll see you then?"

"Sure," I grunt unemotionally, and before I know it, my arms are full of Thalia for a second before she lets go and gives me a fleeting smile. _Another smile._

"Lighten up, would you?" she teases me jokingly. "It'll do you some good."

And then she's walking away, her black hair swishing around her shoulder blades.

* * *

I meet Annabeth in History fifteen minutes before class starts, and once she sees my face, her expression softens.

"Everything alright?" she asks quietly, her eyes digging into my soul.

"Fine," I answer shortly, and my eyes flick down to my desk, so I don't have to stare at her eyes, those gray, stormy eyes that seem to know _everything _about me.

"You sure?"

"Everything's just peachy," I retort sardonically.

Annabeth lets out a snort. "Someone's in a great mood today."

I glare at her, and she glares right back. We stay like that for a bit, just glaring at each-other, gray versus green in an epic battle that might not be won.

And then her eyebrow quirks, and I'm pretty sure mine does too, and we both burst out laughing, laughing so hard until we can't breathe and we're holding our sides in pain, just laugh the world away, because with all of this _insanity_ going on, we deserve to let loose.

And then the bell rings, and we're both brought crashing down to reality.

* * *

I slump in one of the library's chairs, dropping my bag on the floor carelessly. I sigh.

I seem to be sighing more than usual of late.

Sighing, smiling.

I sigh again, running a hand through the tangled mess that my hair is right now.

Sighing, smiling.

I sigh a third time, and close my eyes, trying to remember how to _really _smile, how to smile a smile that isn't fake, but real-the kind that lights up your whole face in joy and stretches your cheeks to the limit before they snap-

"Hey."

I don't open my eyes, but I hear her pull up a chair to the table I'm sitting at.

"You okay?" _No._

Why is everyone asking me that today?

"Percy?"

I feel a poke between my eyes.

"Oh my gods, are you dead?"

_Did she just say Oh my gods?_

"Yup. You definitely are. Percy Jackson, dead as a doornail."

My eye snap open, and she comes into my line of vision, slightly blurry at first, but my eyes focus, and her face is clearer now-and she's _smiling again._

Isn't she always?

Always smiling?

_Like there's not a damn thing wrong in the world?_

"Hello?" she waves a hand impatiently over my eyes, and I blink, startled.

"It lives!" She lets out a couple of chuckles. I just stare at her.

"Percy," she says. "Seriously. Snap out of it. I'm having a one-sided conversation with you and I look crazy."

"Sorry," I say impassively, and Thalia just gives me a _look_. "What?"

"Nothing," she answers, completely straight-faced, and I _almost _believe her-_almost._

Almost. What a _stupid _word.

_Almost. Not quite. On the brink of. Near to. Almost._

_Thalia Grace is almost here. _

_But she's not._

* * *

"So, should we get started?" Thalia asks.

"Sure," I answer. "So we decided last time who we're going to do? That girl I told you about?"

She shakes her head, _still smiling_, and says, "No, I don't think so. She didn't sound very interesting-not the person I would pick for a report for school. So I did some research, and I found out there's a very well known hero named Perseus-just like you."

I'm at a loss for words. _Not interesting?_ This was her _life_ we were talking about. How was it _not _interesting?

"Sure," I say, biting my lip slightly. "Yeah, Perseus sounds fine. Great. Fantastic."

"Good," she replies, satisfaction creeping into her voice. "Let's start working."

* * *

Two hours and thirty-nine minutes later, Thalia and I are sitting in a cracked, old booth at _Papa's Pizzeria,_ absolutely stuffing our faces with greasy pizza.

"Thafff wafff vfe haaest poject I've eveh wohhked ong!" Thalia says, her mouth full of pizza, and I nod in agreement.

"It was," I say. "I'm wiped."

"Me too," Thalia replies after swallowing. "Completely wiped." Her eyes droop in fake fatigue, and I stifle a laugh, grinning.

_Wait a second-grinning?_

_ Am I really grinning?  
_

"So," Thalia starts. "I have to say, I'm very interested in you and Annabeth. What's going on between you two lovebirds, huh?"

"What?" I say after a second, heat flushing its way across my cheeks.

"You and Annabeth," Thalia repeats. "Go on. Tell me."

"We're friends," I mutter, shifting uncomfortably.

"Don't think so," Thalia says, rejecting my idea. "Really _really_ good friends, from what I've seen."

I open my mouth to reject her, but she just interrupts me.

Well. I guess some things about Thalia haven't changed.

"Hey-you never did tell me what the girl's name from earlier was," Thalia muses.

"The daughter of Zeus?" I raise an eyebrow.

"Yup," Thalia replies, twirling her straw around in her drink. The ice glistens in the fading sunlight.

"Thalia Grace."

She stops like she's been shot, and looks at me.

She's definitely not smiling now.

Her eyes flash-and is that sulfur I smell? _Like the smell of lightning?_

"_What?_" Thalia almost growls.

"Thal-"

"I don't want to hear it," she says coldly. "Look-I'm not her, okay? The girl you're looking for? I'm not her."

"But-"

"No, Percy. I'm sure plenty of people have the name Thalia Grace. Just stop, okay? Stop torturing yourself over her and let go."

I look at her desolately. Can't she see that I _can't_ let go?

"Thalia-" My throat tightens.

She just shakes her head, and I can see her fists clench. "Stop it. The girl you remember is just a memory, and she's gone now. So just _give up, already._" She's glaring at me again.

She stands up to leave, but I catch her arm in my tight grip, and her eyes meet mine.

Blue against green.

_We both know who'll win this battle._

"I won't bother you anymore," I whisper. "Just-tell me this. How did you know?"

Thalia gives me another look that I can't figure out. I doubt I'll be able to, no matter how hard I think about it. It's mysterious, like the sea, and sharp, like the wind whistling past your ear in the dead of night.

"Annabeth. Annabeth told me," she answers, and then she wrenches her hand out of my grip and walks out.

_I've just lost Thalia Grace for the third time._

* * *

The next few weeks at school, I try to talk to Thalia, but every time, she just gives me another one of her famous looks, one that clearly states _you promised not to talk about it._

One day, I can't remember which now, I ask Annabeth why she would tell Thalia about how we were looking for our Thalia.

"What are you talking about?" she asks. "I didn't tell her anything."

* * *

Eventually, I just stop trying.

I admit defeat.

I give up.

_So I let Thalia Grace go._

* * *

**Whew! That was fun to write. Yes this is the last chapter, no, you are not getting any extra information on this four-shot, yes, I'm sad this is the next-to-last chapter!**

**Sorry I've been gone so long. Stress is eating away at me, and I've also been beta'ing a lot, and I always put beta's stories before my own, so...**

**Merry Christmas! And yes, since it's Christmas, you can't stab me like last chapter.**

**If you're Jewish, or another religion, just have a happy day today. Hey! Everyone needs one, right?**

**And no. You cannot stab me with pitchforks or demigod weapons or whatnot. ;)**

**~lilmissf**


	40. Of Shocks and Seashells

You step carefully off of the creaking ferry, looking curiously at your hand, which is now nothing but spindly, brittle bone, for the flesh has seemingly melted off your body. And you look around at the others who came with you across the River Styx, and their skeletal bodies are shrouded in gauzy, black robes that seem to whisper in hushed tones as they move. You can't help but feel as if they are all watching you, waiting for you to do something, like this is a games of chess and it's your move, but all you can see is black and white checkering on for miles and miles, swirling dizzily around you. The spirits leer at you with bony, grotesque grins and dark, empty eyes sockets clouded with a haze of death.

You look back at the river, oily and hideous, the color of tar, as it churns thickly around dead dreams, infected hope, wishes that never came true, feeling it pull on the spot on the small of your back that used to tether you to the divine, mortal world. The whispers reach a crescendo around you, the dead speaking in a cacophony of complicated, frenzied hisses and odd, high-pitched twittering. Ignoring them all, you walk away, leaving them and their whispering cloaks and hollow eyes behind you. You keep walking, and soon you arrive at three gates, where Cerberus stood, growling and salivating fiercely. It looks at you, and all three heads cock to the side, as though it remembers you and lets out a giant, booming bark, alerting all to your presence. You stand for a moment, remembering the first time you set foot here, when you were twelve and _young_, and you, Annabeth, and Grover trembled under the Lord of Death's stare. But soon you move on, ignoring the hungry stares that follow you, because _remembering _is not the same as _living_. You walk towards one of the gates, not paying attention to which one it is. The guards will know who you are and they will take you to where you need to be. You trust Hades enough to guide you through Death.

The ghostly attendants split apart to create a walkway in an almost reverential manner, because you are Percy Jackson, Son of Poseidon, Savior of Olympus, and you have saved the world to many times to count. And like Chiron and your Father had warned you what seems like millenia ago: heroes never have easy lives. They die young, and rash, and _reckless_, having a small taste of life but not being able to enjoy it, to savor it. And you, Percy Jackson, are a hero, and you are no exception.

You keep walking towards your final destination along a path that seems older than time itself, yet still not worn by the treads of the many people that have walked this path before. And again, just like you were twelve, you find it unbearably depressing and shameful that so few people have done remarkable good in their life. You are flanked on either side by spirits in silver armor that clanks and creaks occasionally, but you welcome the noise, because it's chillingly silent as you keep walking. But soon enough, you realize that the chess game your life, the game in which you are the king and you've finally been checked, will never end until you finally reach the end of the tunnel.

Eventually, you come to an ornate arch that's made out of twisting strands of silver, interlocking like a writhing mess of snakes, and on top of the arch, written in spindly silver letters, is the word-

_Ἠλύσιον πεδίον,_ one of the spirits murmurs, the word like a wisp of smoke, hazy and incomplete, with undefined edges, and you realize you can understand what years ago sounded like sickly chattering.

The spirits both fall to their knees respectfully as you tentatively step through the arch to peek at the promised splendor that lies in front of you. And you are not disappointed, because you are met with sprawling meadows of rippling, shimmery, rainbow-colored grass that bloom with delicate silver and gold flowers, fountains shrouded by blooming trees, and gorgeous villas, and for a moment you are overwhelmed by all the beauty, but then you spot possibly the most beautiful thing you've ever seen.

She doesn't notice you at first. She's turned away from you, arms crossed in a defiant manner over her chest as a small pout crosses over her heavenly features. You can't tear your eyes away from her, you're completely enraptured, completely _captivated_, and you hungrily drink in all the familiarity while you rake your eyes up and down her face, memorizing every detail.

As though she can feel your intense gaze, she turns towards you, her eyes locking on yours _(and then it's blue and green, just like it's always been)_ and her face lights up like the sun. Her eyes are two of the brightest supernovas you've ever seen as she flashes you an honest to God _Thalia Grace smile_ before sprinting over to you, ignoring the spirits calling after her, and practically _flings_ herself at you. Your face splits into a grin as you wrap your arms around her securely and realize that miraculously, your bones are covered with warm flesh again, because this girl you're holding onto right now, this beautiful girl, is your _life_, your _world_, your _everything_.

And you can't help but think that this is how it should have been all along, with your fingertips entwined in her hair and one hand around her slender waist. She wraps her arms around your neck and whispers, her breath darting across your ear and cheek, _I've missed you so much, Percy. So very much._

As you step back, you can't help but note the subtle differences she has been given through death. Her body, silver and delicate, emits an ethereal glow, unlike the strong, vibrant flush she exuded while she was Artemis' lieutenant. And when she speaks, her voice echoes in an airy way, reverberating even when there is no surface for the words to rebound off of. But you console yourself with the fact that her eyes are still the same shade of shocking blue they always were.

She grips your hand in hers and leads you down a pebble-strewn path, and you ignore the various heroes calling out to you, Silena, Beckendorf, Lee Fletcher, too drunk on Thalia's nectar-like presence and focusing only on her, following her in a dizzy high of emotions, the catatonic joy of seeing her just sinking in. She leads you down the winding, dizzy path, towards the sparkling lake that contains the Isles of the Blest, and you reach the beach that spans the shore of the lake, all soft white sand and seashells.

You lie down on the sand, letting it run through your fingers, and faintly hear Thalia do the same over the crashing of the waves. You take a breath and just listen to the water lapping against the shore, surf curling along the edge.

"So. How've you been?" Thalia asks, twisting a lock of hair around her finger. It's gotten longer since you last saw her, much longer, and suddenly you feel a world away from her.

"I've been...better," you answer, picking your words carefully. You look up at the sky, the only thing that does not exude beauty in Elysium, see the rough edges of an untamed cave, stalactites jutting out, reminding you that you are trapped here now.

"What about the monster?" Thalia inquires lightly, and a heavy sense of dread fills you. There are _others_, still _alive_, and you _left_ them. You left them to fend for themselves in a world where Chaos reigns and demigods are hunted by a monster whose name has been lost in time.

"I left them," you mumble, and Thalia looks sharply at you. "I...left them. Gave up on them. Gave up on myself." You feel the overwhelming shame and self-loathing build up inside you. "Goddamnit!" you yell, slamming your fist into the sand, but Thalia remains unfazed and unruffled. "How could I leave them like that? How could I leave them at the hands of Chaos? I might as well have just killed all of them! I gave up on them, Thalia! There were more moves I could have played, more pawns I could have captured. I could have _helped_ them!"

"Stop," Thalia says, and you obey her, because Thalia is not to be trifled with when she uses that deadly, quiet tone. "Look at me, Percy." So you do, and you can feel the warm grains of sand caressing your cheek as you turn your head towards hers. Immediately, you start to drown in the deep, vivid blue of her eyes, getting lost in their stormy depths. "You can't do anything more to help them."

"But-" you argue.

"No, Percy," she interrupts, shaking her head. "You did all that you could, you saved lives, you died being a _hero_, and that's what really counts. There's nothing you can do for them now. If they want to live," she pauses, staring at you, "well, I guess it's up to them."

_Checkmate._

You're out of moves. You admit defeat, stop struggling.

"Maybe it's best this way," you murmur. You look at her again. "At least we have each other." You stretch out your hand.

She takes it, you hands intertwining, fingertips meeting atop a beach full of sand and seashells, and the tiniest shock travels up your fingers, as if saying, _I'm here. I'm here for you._

"Yeah," She finally says, closing her eyes. "At least we have each other."

* * *

**Disclaimer: Don't own PJO.**

**Remember the good ol' days when I used to update twice a day? Yeah, me too. Sorry for leaving you guys hanging for the last couple of months...hehe. **

**I started this story almost exactly a year ago. The idea started when I was visiting extended family in San Francisco. I just got back from another trip to San Francisco, where I wrote this chapter. This chapter is really important to me (an highly symbolic, try to figure out why ;) ) and I got the idea for it around Chapter 29. I knew I wanted it to be the last chapter in the story, so there ya go. **

**Now, this is going to be a very long A/N, so bear with me here, people. **

**I'd like to thank every single person who has ever reviewed, favorited, alerted, or even just clicked on this story. The support I received from you guys made me more happy than any of you ever know. I never thought I'd write a story that got over 400 reviews. EVER. So thank you all so much. I have gotten over 56,000 hits on this story, which is incredible, and over 100 people have favorited it, which is freakin' amazing by my standards. So thank you guys again, because this really means the world to me.**

**Now I'd like to thank the three communities that added this story to their archives (all of which are awesome, by the way): _The Akashic Records, _Simply Awesome Splendid Stories, _and GodChildShipping_ (for all of you Perlia lovers, check out the forum and the community; both are awesome.)**

**I would also like to thank _Thalia Marie Grace _for nominating this story at the pjofandomawards. Even though it didn't win, I'm honored for it to be nominated.**

**Next I would like to thank _plasticjungle_ for making me two pieces of fanart: **

**h t t p : / / i 5 4 . t i n y p i c . c o m / 2 d l 6 7 4 l . j p g **

**and **

**h t t p : / i 5 3 . t i n y p i c . c o m / d 6 6 w 2 . p n g **

**Both are great pieces of work and remember-you make me fanart, I write you a FREE one-shot for any fandom I'm familiar with, with any pairing (but under an M rating). This rule is only excepted by requests for Harry Potter one-shots. I refuse to tarnish JK Rowling's work with my amateur writing. **

**Next I'd like to say a huge THANK YOU to every single person who has ever reviewed this story:**

**KoniK47, _.Ghosts, _HopingFate, _plasticjungle,_ Superstar1, _I am so cool (anonymous)_, i-like-2-snort-pickles (anonymous), _pokechu9 (anonymous)_, max artemis potter, _GleekPJOFreak, _Thalia Grace Pikachu, _Sea Chick,_ Thaliarox (anonymous), _AllShadesOfGrey, _PercabethEternalLove, _flylikeblackjack, _Poseidon93, _ghettoinblue_, AthenaKidd, _Kormk, _Arvd 913, _Heartless demon wolf, _livingondaydreams, _Mundster Madman, _dragonzftw, _Flame-Fist-Ace, _ Abby-Jade-Love, _DrinkingAlcoholicRainbows, _jahfreenalam, _percylover11111, _Neon Shoelaces, _So True, _IFoundAPickle, _SkylerPhoenix (anonymous), _3.1415926535897932384626433, _Lord Jace, _Victorious Me Myself and I (anonymous), _AnnabethChaserocks, _In the Closet FanFic Reader, _bond (anonymous), _abjaekdhaswdhsjh (anonymous), _Ocean Muffins32, _Chunk Li, _ (anonymous), _XX TEARS DON'T FALLXX, _Kilana98, _dAuGhTeR oF zEuS, _Just Some Anonymous Guy (anonymous), _xXAwesomeSauceXx, _Riley Coyote, _Thalia4ever (anonymous), _HuntressOfArtemis39, _artyfan, _CassandraSnakeCharmer, _Athena's Owlet24, _riptideter (anonymous), _PJOmaniac (anonymous), _anon (anonymous), _InTheDarknessWithNoLight, _Xx Silentheart xX, _Me (anonymous), _09090087654226 (anonymous), _percyxthaliaforever (anonymous), _Sage of Eyes, _Super Mario909 (anonymous), _R0xas 666, _AngelicBlues502, _j (anonymous), _anjjfvnd (anonymous), _Alice Daughter of Athena, _ThreeBulletsAtTheDangerParade, _The Wizarding DemiGod, _Dreams of the Darkness, _bulletforyourdreams1712, _Owlgrrl, _xXPerdiciaJacksonXx, _Chemical Dreamer, _purple panda (anonymous), _tiffc10,_ (anonymous), _dkcjioa (anonymous), _Thalia Jackson (anonymous), _Thalia Marie Grace, _argent98, _meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeat (anonymous), _toilet trees (anonymous), _Smile Sweetly. Laugh Loudly, _ferb, _HopingFate, _KairacahraFlower Goddess, _cvgf (anonymous), _PerliaHard (anonymous), _HappyAce88, _ixdookiie, _wegude (anonymous), _StarcallerPhoenix, _FaTaLClanWii, _raeganb123 (anonymous), _Magikidd, _britishmexi27, _chessrd, _ugf (anonymous)_, RomanGreekDemi, _Magic Kirby, _ThatHotAndSexyDemigoddess, _Colonel Protoman, _WhisperedSilver, _Konri Kari, _doitforpercypleeas, _SaberGirl1005, _slytheringirl4life**

**Thank you to ALL of you. Every single word you guys wrote made me super happy. Oh, and please tell me if I missed/misspelled you in the list above.**

**Sooooo NEWS: I may update this story once in a blue moon. VERY RARELY. VERY. I will be writing more Perlia one-shots in my spare time, so feel free to check those out. I will also be editing most of these one-shots, because the proofreading is terrible, and as you may be able to tell, my writing style has changed a lot in the last year. Also, the Perlia story I told you about? In the works. I'll post it as soon as I can. **

**Cheerio! LOVE YOU ALL!**

**~lilmissf**

**P.S. Write Perlia! For those of you who love it, we need to build up the archive for Perlia fics! Maybe I'll have a contest. Stay posted :)**


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